While the majority of horses have little to no issue accepting a nebulising mask for the first time, anxious horses might show some reluctance. This hesitation in accepting the mask is usually manifested by pulling the head up or backing away from the handler; Flexineb® is designed for ease of application on all horses – be they calm or anxious. In the latter cases, we recommend opening the Exit Valve fully to facilitate full breathing and expedite the horse’s willing acceptance of the mask. (Please note, it is recommended the Exit Valve is closed during treatment.)

The Flexineb® has been designed so the individual administering care can do so safely and quickly. For best results, walk the horse around the barn/stable block or yard to encourage deep breathing and relaxation during treatment.

Alternatively, treatment can also be administered - as outlined below - while other barn/grooming chores are completed:

Stables Aisle: For horses familiar with the Flexineb®, tie in cross ties or a single tie in the stable aisle. For horse and handler safety, ties should never be attached directly to the mask but instead to the halter only.

Stall/Stable Confinement: The horse can be treated safely, hand-held or tied.

Wash Bay: In wash bays with cross ties available, horses can safely be nebulised if post exercise washing is necessary. Please note, the Flexineb® E2 controller is NOT water proof.

Grooming/Tack Up Area: Treatment can be administered safely in grooming and tack up areas where a tie is available before or after exercise during (un)tacking and (un)booting.

Walker: Horses who have demonstrated consistent comfort and confidence with nebulisation might accept nebulisation treatment on a walker.

Horse Trailer: Horses can be nebulised before or after classes or competitions in a parked trailer.

Open Air Competitions: The Flexineb® E2 is completely cordless and battery operated and can therefore be used where “day-of” nebulisation is permitted. Competition safe solutions often include saline, Immuno San* & Silvaplex.

The aforementioned treatment scenarios have been safely practiced by owners, trainers and veterinarians around the globe. The Flexineb® offers complete portability and flexibility, allowing for treatment/administration for any schedule or routine.Please note, horse and handler safety are both paramount. Like any treatment or procedure, ensure the horse is extremely comfortable with the Flexineb® E2 and provide adequate supervision during administration.

Liz Halliday-Sharp had every reason to be on a high last summer. Deniro Z was proving true her prediction about becoming a top international eventing partner. They’d earned the reserve spot on the U.S. team’s World Equestrian Games roster and they were sailing their way to what could have been a top 5 finish at the Millstreet International Horse Trials CICO3* in Ireland.

But in the final phase, show jumping, something felt amiss. “He was just not himself,” says Liz of the 11 year old KWPN she’d brought along since he was a very green 7-year-old. “He was jumping to the left a little and he had three rails down. He never has three rails down!”

Despite his slightly off behavior that day, Liz “never in a 1,000 years would have thought he had ulcers.” During the thorough exam triggered by Liz’s intuition, Deniro’s response to palpation of acupuncture points related to ulcers indicated a problem. An endoscopic exam confirmed ulcers, and bad ones, at that. Equine gastric ulcer syndrome is typically rated on a 0-3 grading system, and Deniro was diagnosed as having grade 1-2 ulcers throughout his stomach.

Poor coat condition, girthiness, general grumpiness and weight loss are classic ulcer symptoms, but Deniro had none of them. “He’s always been a happy, wonderful horse.” That’s a familiar story with ulcers, especially in competition horses for whom travel and show stress is a regular reality despite best management practices. Stress triggers extra acid production, some of which is needed for digesting food, but excess amounts eat away the stomach lining to cause ulcers. Chewing for the horse’s natural 16 hour-a-day ideal produces saliva that helps protect the stomach lining, but consuming forage with the wrong nutrient balance causes problems of its own.

Ulcer Prevention

Deniro’s condition responded well to treatment with omeprazole injections, and his veterinarian recommended diet changes for the equally important step of preventing a recurrence. The main diet changes were a switch to Kentucky Equine Research’s low-starch Re-Leve Feed and to steaming hay with a Haygain Hay Steamer instead of feeding haylage.

Halliday-Sharp Eventing’s string of top eventers and young horses split their time between training bases in South England’s East Sussex and Ocala, Florida. In England, Deniro and many of his stablemates used to get their forage through haylage, a moist, nutrient and protein-rich form of hay that is vacuum-packed shortly after harvest. Its high protein and sugar content are not healthy for ulcer-prone horses.

Liz had already been considering a switch to steamed hay. Top eventers throughout the world were among Haygain’s earliest adopters. At the Millstreet competition, in particular, she noticed steamers throughout the stabling area. Steaming hay is primarily known for protecting the horse’s vulnerable respiratory system: helping prevent ulcers is one of its additional benefits. For Liz’s horses, Haygain’s one-hour steaming process makes hay of a more tummy-friendly nutrient content taste great and adds water to it, providing the extra water content they had previously benefited from with haylage.

Deniro’s enthusiasm for steamed hay and its common sense and scientifically proven benefits inspired Liz to put all her horses on it, Stateside and in England. “Deniro prefers it to anything else,” Liz reports. She’s now a believer in steamed hay’s role in their overall well-being. “I like the idea that it’s dust and bug free and they all seem to love it.” Her barn staff is happily on board, too. “We had been soaking our hay and that was a real nightmare. They love not having to do that anymore and the horses are happy and healthy.”

Back On Course

Owned by Ocala Horse Properties, Deniro Z is back in full work and slated to resume competing in February. “Touch wood, we are on track with where we want to be,” Liz says.

The Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event in April is the first major target in a hopeful path to representing the States at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Being named to the US Equestrian’s Development Pre-Elite Training List was a great way to close 2018 and begin this year knowing that team selectors continue their keen focus on and faith in the pair.

Liz was the first to have faith in Deniro. When she bought him as a sales prospect, he had no eventing experience and not much training. Their first year together in Florida, he hinted at his future by winning a 1* competition, then continued to finish well consistently from then on. By the time of his ulcer diagnosis, Deniro had amassed wins in six international competitions and finished eighth in his first 4*, the sport’s top level, at the Luhmuhlen Horse Trials in Germany.

Two younger horses are following in Deniro’s hoofprints on the international track. In 2018, Cooley Moonshine won two internationals and finished with a bronze medal in the 6 Year Old World Championships and Cooley Quicksilver also won an International event and finished seventh in the 7 Year Old World Championships in France. Whatever their age and training stage, Liz’s horses get the best of everything and she’s looking forward to steam-powered successes this year with Haygain’s help.

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/three-haygain-usa-ambassadors-start-2019-on-us-equestrian-s-pre-elite-training-list2019-01-08T04:21:00-12:002019-01-08T05:32:16-12:00Three Haygain USA ambassadors Start 2019 on US Equestrian’s Pre-Elite Training ListLaura Marsh
Haygain ambassadors Liz Halliday-Sharp, Tamie Smith and Caroline Martin are poised for a steam-powered New Year and will be representing Haygain at top competitions throughout 2019.

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Liz Halliday-Sharp, Tamie Smith and Caroline Martin are poised for a steam-powered New Year with placement on US Equestrian’s Development Pre-Elite Training List. All three recently joined Haygain USA’s team of ambassadors and will be representing us at top competitions throughout 2019.

The Pre-Elite designation is the second highest tier on US Equestrians’ newly reinvented U.S. Eventing Pathway, spearheaded by US Eventing Performance Director, Erik Duvander. The program looks to create a culture of competitiveness and provide a more clearly defined pathway for eventing athletes in the United States. The placement indentifies Liz, Tamie and Caroline as having the potential to meet Elite status within the next two to four years and be on track for an international championships team within four to six years.

Caroline & Jump Jet (Photo: Jessica Duffy)

These three riders occupy three of eight places on the highly selective list and were named with a top horse in their string.

Based currently in Ocala, Florida, Liz (pictured below) was named with Deniro Z, a 10 year old KWPN gelding owned by The Deniro Syndicate and Ocala Horse Properties. Riding out of Miami Beach, Florida, Caroline earned the spot with Islandwood Captain Jack, her and Sherrie Martin’s 9 year old Irish Sport Horse gelding. Tamie, a Californian, was named with Judith McSwain’s 9 year old Holsteiner mare Fleeceworks Royal.

Eventers were among the first to recognize and embrace the benefits of Haygain Steamed Hay. The rigors of conditioning for and competing cross-country put a premium on respiratory health and feeding steamed hay is one of the best ways to protect the horse’s fragile airway and lungs. The one-hour steaming cycle rids hay of nearly all breathable irritants, including dust, mould spores and bacteria. It also adds water to the horse’s diet for better gut function and most horses prefer the taste and texture of steamed hay over dry or soaked hay.

Haygain USA is proud to have Liz, Tamie and Caroline on our team and we look forward to sharing their news and accomplishments over the coming year.

Tamie & Fleeceworks Royal (Photo: Sherry Stewart)

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/changing-behaviour2019-01-08T01:40:00-12:002019-01-08T01:52:31-12:00Changing BehaviourLaura Marsh
Attitudes towards feeding horses are changing all of the time, but how do we as horse owners know which advice to take on board? NHS dietitian and Equine nutrition researcher Abby Hookey BSc(hons) PGDip MSc RD explains how to navigate through the many articles and research papers available.

A new year comes new (or old) resolutions; whether your resolution is around diet and/or exercise most of us tend to make lifestyle based resolutions. Whilst changes aren’t always bad – we’re creatures of habit and evidence has highlighted that on average it takes us 66 days (the range was 18-245 days) to form a new habit. We need to be ready to make a change, we need to want to make the change and we need to be motivated; there will always be barriers that get in the way and these need to be identified and we need to work with them as more often than not they won’t go away.

The question is how long do we stick to them and what do we base our resolutions on? As a dietitian I often hear lifestyle changes are often based on something a friend has tried, maybe something we have read about or something we have done in the past that made us feel better so we’ll try it again. As horse enthusiasts, do we ever make the same resolutions for our 4 legged friends? If so, what evidence do we base it on?Making lifestyle changes is difficult, as highlighted above, we don’t often make a lifestyle decision for ourselves based on evidence and that same (albeit anecdotally) can also be said for our furry friends. We often try and look after our pets better than we do ourselves but are the changes we make based on scientific evidence? A brief look on any advice forum (human or equine) and there are plenty of advice givers based on their own tried and tested remedies, rather than scientific advice.

However, there are some advice givers who also feel the scientific evidence isn’t impartial. This may be due to particular source of funding for a piece of research. This also occurs in humans, particularly regarding different diets. There are a huge number of different messages regarding health and nutrition for horses and it can be overwhelming. In the world of human nutrition, I often have patients who aren’t sure where to start when it comes to making changes. Scientific evidence is there to protect us as horse owners and more often than not it can also help us save money in the long run! Regardless of funding source in order for research to be published in a reputable journal it goes through a rigorous process. Whilst there’s an awareness that not everything has been researched it’s important that before embarking on any change we do our research and feel fully informed. Ideally the research should come from a reputable source such as a published veterinary journal or qualified professional such as your vet who you can always ask to be sign posted to more information.

It’s important to be open to new ideas but use several sources to piece together the picture. In science and medicine its rarely black and white our understanding is constantly evolving as we learn more - No one paper tells the whole story! If in doubt seek the advice of professional.

References Nilsen P, Roback K, Brostrom A and Ellstrom PK (2012) Creatures of habit: accounting for the role of habit implementation research on clinical behaviour change. Implementation Science. 7:53

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/hay-steaming-for-all-12018-12-20T00:18:00-12:002019-01-03T03:55:57-12:00Hay steaming for all!Laura Marsh
Many regular horse owners assume that steaming is only feasible for those with professional help. Wrong. Amateur rider Carol Mervis explains how she incorporates steaming into her routine.

The benefits of hay steaming are well known. It rids forage of nearly 100 percent of breathable airway irritants, adds water to the horse’s diet, increases palatability and smells divine. Everyone wants it for their horse but some regular horse ownersassume that steaming is only feasible for those with professional help however this is not the case.

Amateur rider Carol Mervis works full-time at Harvard Business School in Boston. She has an almost hour-long drive to her mare, Emmy, in Sudbury, MA, where she rides nearly every night after work. On the recommendation of one of Emmy’s vets, Suzanne Loheac, DVM, Carol bought a half-bale HG 600 steamer 18 months ago.

Competing at a show that summer, the now-13 year old Thoroughbred/Warmblood cross developed a fever, then a cough. Although a cause was not determined, Dr. Loheac treated the mare’s fever quickly, but the cough lingered. The vet suggested steaming and Carol began researching Haygains science and equipment. In the interim, she soaked Emmy’s hay to reduce dust, a major culprit in respiratory disease. “That was really a pain,” she recalls. “As I researched Haygain, I realised how much better it was to steam versus soaking.”

Emmy has been on Haygain Steamed Hay ever since that epiphany and has been “really healthy and, touch wood, in overall better health.” Emmy lives at Blue Meadow Farm, a public boarding stable that’s home to between 22-24 horses. The stable’s owner was concerned about the Haygain unit at first, Carol relays. Worries about where the chest would go, safety and containment of the effluent produced during the one-hour steaming cycle were addressed.

The rugged, thermally-sealed chest lives without incident in the barn aisle. It sits on a rubber mat with edges to prevent possible overflow of the effluent tray from damaging nearby wood. And Carol assured the stable owner that only she would operate the equipment, which has built-in safety features that include a run-dry alarm and warning light. The dressage rider is meticulous about every aspect of her horse’s care, so it was natural to insist on doing the steaming herself.

An admitted Emmy-spoiler, Carol makes fresh hay every night, enough for the following day and then some. Steamer prep is part of her pre-ride routine: wheeling over the hay flakes and filling the boiler with water. The hay steams during her post-ride routine. “I put a half a bale in there, then usually try to stuff a little more in.”

Feeding the hay within 12 hours of steaming is ideal and it can safely be fed up to 24 hours afterward. Carol’s process produces enough hay to feed Emmy a little as they are preparing to ride each evening and a full meal afterward, as well as enough to feed some outside during the day and to share a little with Emmy’s envious neighbors.

Emmy has become quite the connoisseur. She lives several stables away from the steamer, but never fails to nicker when the Haygain scent drifts down the barn aisle. “She still has the night before’s hay in her stall, but she’ll stop eating that and nicker while the new batch is cooking.”

“Yes, it takes some extra time,” acknowledges Carol. Along with the pre-steam prep, she empties the boiler every night, hoses down the chest weekly and occasionally descales the boiler unit.

“Once you get your routine down, it’s not that big of a deal,” she concludes. Most importantly, Emmy’s easy breathing and overall good health make it well worthwhile.

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/if-horses-could-write-to-santa2018-12-19T22:03:00-12:002019-01-03T04:01:19-12:00If horses could write to Santa….Laura Marsh
if we want our gifts to make them healthy and happy, as well as us" Equine behaviour specialist Sharon Smith explains how we can really make a difference to our horses this Christmas.

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Many people love to splash out a bit on their horse at Christmas – it makes us

feel good! Each year manufacturers give us a bewildering choice of things to buy. Really, we need to look at things from a horse’s point of view if we want our gifts to make them healthy and happy, as well as us. Research in zoo animals has shown the benefits of meeting behavioural needs, and the use of ‘enrichment’ when there are shortfalls in the environment that cannot be overcome.You don’t have to be a zoo-keeper to realise most domesticated horses live in very different conditions to their feral ancestors.

Consider that feral horses choose to live surrounded by fresh food and rarely have to ‘work’, or hunt, to find meals like dogs or early humans. Horses are highly motivated to forage for a constant supply of fibre to their gut, however, to avoid gastric ulceration. Rarely would they naturally eat only one species of grass year-round; there would be fluctuations in species ‘in season’, and quantity available. In fact, variety has been found to be more highly valued by horses than sweetness or quantity.Several studies have observed that horses will leave a preferred grass species to try a less accessible and less palatable species [1,2]. This is something we can attempt to recreate, even for stabled horses [3]. Mix in a small amount of hay from a different source now and again, even if your horse normally requires a high-energy ryegrass (don’t make big changes, of course, or it will upset the gut). A horse in very hard work but with limited appetite will possibly eat more if given choice and variety. Steaming also seems to increase palatability and, of course, protects airways from mould and bacteria in hay.

Along with the variety of forage, the natural gentle movement during grazing and choice of location can also be somewhat satisfied by providing an attached yard – even one that is only as big as the stable. Now the horse has a choice over whether they stand inside, or spend time with a neighbour on the other side of the fence. Do make sure the horses all like each-other when space is very limited!

Having some physical social contact is incredibly important to horses, not just sight and sound. A stabled horse is less likely to lay down to sleep when they feel isolated from other horses [4], are frequently startled, or just find the bedding and environment unpleasant to lay in. Problems also arise where there isn’t enough space, like getting cast or scrapes to hocks, knees and fetlocks. Provide the largest possible space in shelters or stables, and a soft flooring that allows them to lay where they choose and allows easy movement, like Comfortstall.

You are also a social companion, by the way! Nipping out to ‘do’ the horse in a whirlwind of chores and schooling may be essential during the working week; but during a Christmas and New Year break we can spend more quality time with the horse. Ever had a friend who only shows up when they want something? What do you feel like when you see them – a sense of dread perhaps? You have an opportunity to be a better friend and provide some form of new, non-ridden, activity that interests the horse.Even spending undemanding time and finding their itchy spots will be appreciated.

A confident horse will enjoy new sights, sounds, feelings, tastes and smells.Replicate the natural world as much as possible and let them explore at their own pace. Find ‘enrichment’ ideas online - they need not be expensive. Rummaging through a shallow cardboard box full of empty plastic bottles encourages exploratory behaviour and you can help by including thin slices of carrot or apple. Or, just put on a halter and nice long lead-rope and let them have a sniff around the yard - wherever THEY choose to go. Make sure the main gate and feed room door are closed! Have you tried playing your horse some music, quietly, and watched how they react to different styles?

Also, for those than can’t resist doing SOME training, let your horse train YOU for a change by responding to specific subtle gestures, like choosing which brush they’d like to be groomed with. Yellow and blue are the easiest colours for horses to distinguish, if you want to take things to the next level. Get the horse to touch, say, a blue square with their nose and do something they might want immediately afterwards – like taking off a rug if they are too warm. A yellow square could then mean ‘rug on’, or a triangle ‘scratch my tail’. In time they will start to ask you and, if you think your horse is not smart enough, think again as researchers have been using this sort of test with horses for a while [5]. Next to providing a horse with the essentials to maintain life, we can both gain so much more quality of life with a bit of time and imagination.

For many of us in the northern hemisphere winter has truly arrived. What does this mean for our horses? They have survived through the ice ages, with very long and cold winters and horses have a very low thermo-neutral zone. The lower end of the ‘zone’ allows horses to cope quite easily with 0 to -2° degrees Celsius (32-28° Fahrenheit) without requiring additional energy to maintain their body-weight.

This is partially due to their coats growing denser and longer during the winter month and due to their nutritional strategy and metabolic adaptations. For coat thickness there are some slight differences between breeds, but as with behaviour, little has changed as the common ancestors of our domesticated horses (equus ferus caballus) evolved to survive well in cold winters. They are from a lineage of the wild horses (equus ferus ferus) which populated the holarctic region (northern hemisphere covering the northern regions of earth as far as northern Africa) for the last 12 000 years. Their only remaining common ancestor is the now endangered Thaki or Przewalski horse (equus ferus przewalski). Interestingly, up to 30 species of equids survived through the last glacial period (ice age) to around 11 000 years ago, however, it is now believed that excessive human hunting caused the extinction of most of those. This possibly allowed homo sapiens to survive the harsh winters.

Photo: Equus Prszewalski in late autumn – fat deposits and thick winter-coat ready to survive temperatures up to -20°C

So, we have established that our modern equids can survive well in cold winters due to their ancestry and even, what we term as ‘thin’ coated horses with Arabian background, will grow thick coats to protect them against cold and wind. What about nutrition during the winter?

Living off the land

Metabolically their body has also developed a system which allows them to gain excess weight in the summer months, by ‘ignoring’ some of the appetite regulating hormones which signal ‘stop eating’ such as leptin. In the late autumn the sensitivity to these hormones rises again possibly preparing horses to a scarcer environment and the reduction in thyroid regulating hormones puts their body on a ‘energy conservation’ setting by reducing movement and their metabolic rate. This effect also has been seen through reduced Heart Rates in the ‘low light’ season. The digestive system has evolved alongside the climate to cope with poor winter foraging conditions. The process of forage fermentation in the hindgut itself acts like a little like a central heating system for the horse and as less forage is ingested, the passage through the tract slows down leading to greater fermentation and with that heat production. A natural weight loss occurs during the winter month and this seems to have a protective effect against conditions which develop when the body condition remain too high for too long.

What are the consequences of such an innate ‘survival’ system for keeping our domestic equines happy and healthy through the winter?

Behaviour and Exercise

The horses’ behaviour is likely to change somewhat in the winter months, they become a little more lethargic and less happy to exercise, as the downregulation of thyroid related hormones occurs even if sufficient feed is available during this period. Therefore, the very old-fashioned assumption that the horse ‘needs’ more energy in response to this leading to an increase in concentrate feed, will at best have no effect and at worst set the horse up for metabolic problems in spring, as the body is more likely to accumulate internal bodyfat during an energy conserving metabolism. Just give your horse a little extra time to warm up when exercising and consider reducing exercise. Although there seems to be no direct link with photoperiod, for performance horses kept indoors light quality may influence preparedness to exercise. This is purely speculation at this point, but daylight simulators during the winter have been shown to have a positive effect on human mental health.

‘Shaggy’ equine outdoor management in the winter

If horses are less exercised during the winter, think twice about taking their nice warm coat away, instead use less or no rugs. Horses prefer to be outdoors in all weathers, bar heavy rain and wind. A study in Sweden has shown that only then will they seek shelter. Ensure that there always is a shelter from rain. Things to look out for include rain-scald (if not rugged up) and mud-fever. Both a linked to bacteria (Dermatophilus) penetrating the outer layer of the skin, which may be damaged from excess ‘soaking’ in water/wet mud. Generally, the coat and ‘feathers’ around the fetlock will protect horses well. However, our activity of brushing, cleaning and tidying up will cause the loss of protective hair and oils making them more prone to develop skin conditions outdoors. It’s a matter of balance between keeping them in a manner that is most ‘natural’ and species-specific to their behaviour requirements and our requirement to ride and exercise them as well as our desire to ‘make them look nice’. Turned out horses should be checked regularly and ‘crusts’ forming around the fetlock or on the back are a sure sign that treatment is necessary.

A little note her for our ‘donkey’ friends. Donkeys have evolved and survived in much warmer climates than the ancestors of our domestic horses and therefore are poorly adapted for cold and/or wet conditions. They do not have a thick undercoat like horses do and their top coat is not as ‘water resistant’ even if they do look ‘woolly’ at times. This means they are utterly miserable out in the cold and wet and suffer much more from rain-scald and mud-fever. Donkeys must have access to a well enclosed shelter with warm bedding all year round.

Photo: Donkeys at the Donkey Sanctuary, Dorset

Winter water

Also ensure there is always a good access to water when horses are outdoors and indoors. In more severe climates this means ensuring the water source does not freeze up. Horses tend to drink less when the water gets below 7° Celsius and this can be a risk factor for colic, especially if food intake also reduces. Adding some warm water to hay or feeding steamed forages can help increase water intake. Also ensure that indoor water drinkers do not become too cold and if necessary provide additional warmer bucket water.

Feeding in the winter season

There is also no harm in some natural reduction in body weight over the winter months. Body condition will tell you a lot about the nutritional status of your horse. If your horse has accumulated body-fat during the summer (anything above a Body Condition Score of 5 out of 9), now’s the time to allow it to lose this excess weight before the lush spring grass returns. In stabled horses this may mean reducing access to feed slightly more and a slow feeder /slow feeding system will keep them to keep busy and allow them to fulfill their ‘quota’ of natural foraging behaviour. As such, if horses are slowly acclimatised to it, edible straw bedding should be kept clean to allow for this behaviour as well.

For easy keepers, kept indoors soaking and steaming hay can help reduce easily digestible carbohydrates somewhat and for horses which may be prone to respiratory conditions, feeding steamed hay will take away the many irritants which accumulate in winter stabling, when doors and windows are closed more often. Behaviour wise feeding times can become very stressful, specially first thing in the morning if not enough forage was provided overnight. Horses should never fast for more than 4 hours. Always feed forage at least an hour before concentrate feed to reduce risk of colic.

For horses prone to lose too much body-weight in the winter, feeding good quality forage may often be enough. Haylage may provide more energy than hay, as it is often slightly earlier cut and also seems to be digested more efficiently. In addition, some Lucerne chaff (alfa alfa) can provide good quality protein. Do not forget to introduce any new feedstuffs slowly. If your horse spends most of the summer outdoors do not move from grass to stabling suddenly, first introduce some conserved forage outside for a couple of weeks. It may be worth consulting a nutritionist or have your forage analysed before the winter feeding begins to ensure that the most important nutrients are balanced.

Feeding hay or haylage outdoors has to be done with care – a slow feeder system has to provide access to several horses safely or conserved forage needs to be spread across stations/feeding areas to allow even the ‘lowest’ member of the herd access without being bullied. This forage ideally should be put in the field before the horses. If feeding when horses are in the area already special care needs to be taken to ensure human and horse safety. Spread the forage along a long line and ideally away from fencing to avoid injury.

Feeding concentrate outdoors

This poses a special challenge. Options can be individual taped of electric fence areas or even solid fence pens horses can be temporarily brought into to allow them to feed slowly and without harassment. When feeding concentrates to a group of horses in one field the dominant horses have to be fed first (there is little other choice) or they need to be restrained. Adding a little more chaff to the feed of dominant horses will keep them busier for longer and allow the lower ranking horses to finish their feed. Sometimes just a small amount of feed is necessary as a carrier for a balancer or supplement and this can be handfed during the daily horse check. Safety for horses and humans is the priority and should be thought through carefully.

In and out management

Although living outdoors is ideal for most horses, many are kept in at night in the winter, partially so that we can fulfil out hobby of horse riding (often disguised as ‘exercise them’) and to protect limited grassland. Turning out in the winter then leads to additional problems, such as boggy field entrances, horses galloping around more to make up for being cooped up in between and the need to understand herd dynamics when turning out. It is well worth taking some time to understand this and establish a routine ‘order’ of turnout where possible. As such the two ‘lowest’ ranking horses (the ones likely to be pushed away by others) should be turned out together first (always avoid ‘single’ horses in paddocks out of sight of other horses), followed by the rest. Horses do congregate at the gate during the ‘established’ bringing in time, which can make things difficult. One option is to have several access points to a field and to rotate between them. This way the horses never know where you will turn up and the gate areas become less worn.

Key take home messages

Horses naturally slow down a little in the winter

Horses do not always need a stable or rugs in the winter

Horses always need shelter from rain, plenty of forage and access to water

Forage can provide enough energy, even in the winter

Take some time to check nutrient balance before using supplements

Stabled horses will benefit from slow feeders and may need steamed or soaked hay

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/new-year-s-resolutions-for-the-horse-owner2018-12-17T00:00:00-12:002019-01-03T04:05:24-12:00New Year’s resolutions for the horse ownerLaura Marsh
Sharon Smith MSc SEBC(Reg) IEng BHSAPC gives some excellent ideas for New Year's resolutions that we could all do with sticking to!!

Are you going to make any resolutions this year? If not for you, spare a thought for your horses in 2018. Here are some ideas, based on the outcomes of the 4 main priorities for equine welfare [1]:

1) Unresolved stress/pain behaviour

⦁ Get your horse’s teeth checked under sedation, even if your usual dentist is fabulous. An EDT or vet can then do a thorough inspection for caries, before it becomes an expensive, and/or painful, load of procedures.

⦁ Have ALL your tack checked for fit, including the bit and bridle. If your horse is in full work you may need a 3-monthly visit by a qualified Saddle Fitter. More than half the behaviour problems under saddle are caused by pain from an ill-fitting saddle.

⦁ How’s your First Aid? Log ‘normal’ temperature, pulse and respiration. Blow the dust off the top of your first aid kit (unless you have a horse like mine, that self-harms almost daily) make sure it’s stocked properly (ask a vet). Are the things that are supposed to be sterile, unopened and in date? If not, why not practice with it while you horse is healthy – just in case?

2) Inappropriate nutrition

⦁ Use a weigh-bridge. You could make a couple of trips to a vehicle facility with/without horse. There may be independent horse weighing services, or some feed companies with a mobile weighbridge. Then check your weigh-tape and ensure accurate sedation, medication, worming and legal transportation.

⦁ Feed more forage. Fibre-based bagged feeds still don’t offer the same amount of ‘chew’ as forage. Chewing stimulate saliva and is protective against performance-limiting gastric ulcers. There is evidence that racehorses on a grass and hay diet can be successfully raced over several years [2].

⦁ Have your forage analysed. If you horse needs to lose or gain weight, or you’re serious about competition, you can’t afford to ignore the mineral, protein and energy contribution of forage to the equine diet, and you might off-set the costs of the analysis in savings in hard feed and vets bills!

3) Inappropriate stabling/turnout

⦁ Remember horses need the 3F’s: Friends, Forage and Freedom. Environment has as much to do with performance and behaviour as training. Can you make improvements?

⦁ Make changes to minimise air-born dust, and plan a regular clean: up high as well as down low. Maintain the best dust-free environment for horse and humans.

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/california-and-the-challenges-of-keeping-horses-in-arid-climates2018-12-03T23:37:00-12:002019-01-03T04:13:56-12:00California and the challenges of keeping horses in arid climatesLaura MarshMore]]>
Written by: Becky James MScOn a recent trip I visited California for the first time and was surprised at the extent horse culture is nestled within the cities often without a blade of grass in sight! We visited equestrian centres where 20 trainers from all types of disciplines with 10-15 horses in training or boarding meant there would be 300+ horses on one site with little to no pasture.

This was a new concept to me and left me pondering, on the one hand I think it’s wonderful that horses are such an integral part of the city. They range from horses in people’s backyards in Norco (I saw a horse literally peering in through a window of a house) to large high-end training and competition facilities along with miles and miles of trail riding in the foothills of LA. On the other hand, the city exposes them to unusually high air pollution in addition to the already challenging dry dusty conditions symptomatic of the climate and they are stabled for most of the time.

This very different environment must pose a diverse set of challenges for horse owners in California and other arid areas compared to most horse owners, certainly those of us in the UK.

Grass management

While we dread the rain (and resulting mud) it’s what gives Britain its green, green grass. In contrast, California and the like may only see rain at the beginning of the year meaning the majority of time is spent with sun-baked soil and parched vegetation.

For those yard owners lucky enough to have areas of pasture it must be a constant battle to manage so that horses have grass to eat.

Irrigation is an everyday routine with systems varying from above ground sprinklers to underground water carrying tapes. They are usually on timers and so come on routinely, usually at night. I noticed as dusk falls in California so does the sprinkling of water!

Overgrazing is known to compromise grass health and encourage weed growth and when grass is not actively growing it is unable to survive continuous grazing and trampling so inevitably there will be times when pasture should be rested to protect it.

All hail the hay cube…or maybe not?

Hay is the obvious main source of forage. We know the importance of long-stemmed forage in the horse’s diet to satisfy their innate need to chew for up to 12 hours a day which in turn provides saliva; a buffer against stomach acid which is only produced when the horse is physically chewing. Trickle feeding especially long-stemmed forage keeps the stomach 2/3rds full which helps support the natural stomach physiology to prevent the occurrence of health issues such as gastric ulcers. Hay in California is notoriously dusty and good quality hay can be expensive when bought in from further afield. It appears a lot of horse owners have turned to hay cubes for either part or all of the forage part of the diet. While hay cubes are useful to supplement part of the diet, they are convenient to feed and dust free I don’t believe they should completely replace hay/pasture.

One solution to California’s dry, dusty hay would be to steam it at high temperatures to reduce the respirable dust, kill mould and bacteria and re-hydrate it.

Water

Intense heat can quickly compromise a horse’s hydration so an adequate supply of fresh, clean water should be available at all times. Automatic water systems are preferable because the water circulates rather than standing stagnant, which avoids providing a breeding area for mosquitoes that can carry West Nile virus and other pathogens.

Sand colic

Californian soil is predominantly sand based. Feeding on sandy ground, can lead to horses ingesting dirt and sand along with their hay, which can cause sand colic, a form of impaction colic. The granules then settle to the bottom of the intestines, specifically in the large colon, where their grittiness can irritate the intestinal lining.

Mild sand colic, which is often accompanied by diarrhoea, may be transient, but eventually enough sand can accumulate to result in severe, ongoing discomfort. In the worst cases, the intestines may become twisted or displaced or even rupture.

Preventing sand ingestion is vital and is it would be worth considering using a hay feeder to help keeping the hay off the floor.

Sunburn

A shelter will allow horses to control their own body temperature and protect them from harmful UV rays, which can cause sunburn or, worse, cancer. In addition, UV-blocking fly masks and masks with extended noses or baby sunscreen can be used to protect the more vulnerable pink skinned noses.

Fire

When the sun has baked the vegetation to a crisp, wild fires are a real and regular risk. We drove past one off one of the major highways which was being dowsed in water from helicopters and fireman’s hoses as everyone casually drove past and carried on with their daily lives. Every horse owner needs an evacuation plan and must be very careful in how they store and handle everyday items like hay, bedding and grain. As well as how they manage the vegetation on their property. For example, clear weeds from the fence lines to prevent them acting like a wick.

When a wild fire takes place its not just the fire itself that is of concern to horses in the surrounding area but the effects of the unhealthy air containing smoke and particulates on horse’s respiratory health. These particulates air can build up in the respiratory system, causing a number of health problems including burning eyes, runny noses and illnesses such as bronchitis.

UC Davis equine specialists have published guidelines for horse owners and trainers to help keep horses healthy during such times:

Limit exercise when smoke is visible. Activities that increase the airflow in and out of the lungs can trigger bronchoconstriction (narrowing of the small airways in the lungs).

Provide plenty of fresh water. Water keeps the airways moist and facilitates clearance of inhaled particulate matter. This means the windpipe (trachea), large airways (bronchi), and small airways (bronchioles) can move the particulate material breathed in with the smoke. Dry airways make particulate matter stay in the lung and air passages.

Limit dust exposure by feeding dust-free hay. This reduces the particles in the dust such as mould, fungi, pollens and bacteria that may have difficulty being cleared from the lungs. You can’t control the smoke but you can control exposure to dust from other sources.

Horse’s with a history of having heaves or recurrent airway problems, have a greater risk of secondary problems such as bacterial pneumonia.

Airway damage resulting from wildfire smoke takes 4-6 weeks to heal and horse owners are advised to give effected horses this time off. Attempting exercise may aggravate the condition, delay the healing process, and compromise the horse’s performance for many weeks or months.

Air quality

The Los Angeles metropolitan area is one of the most polluted in the U.S, according to the American Lung Association’s report “State of the Air 2018”. This will undoubtedly impact the horses in the city and will be further compounded by the dry, dusty atmosphere of the climate. In addition to the environment, horse barns are notorious for exposure to mould, fungal spores and bacteria predominantly from bedding and forage. This exposure can be reduced by using the Comfortstall sealed, padded rubber flooring system so that just a minimal amount low-dust bedding is needed and then steaming the hay with a Haygain.

Of course, horse owners can’t control the naturally dusty environment “alfresco” and in some cases poor city air quality but there are some things you can. You can make sure the horse is fully equipped to deal with the conditions – access to water, shelter and good quality, long stemmed forage.

Take home message – take control of what you can, embrace the rest!

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/the-best-kept-secret-for-helping-horses-with-arthritis2018-11-27T00:17:00-12:002018-12-29T02:47:35-12:00The Best Kept Secret for Helping Horses with ArthritisLaura MarshMore]]>
Who knew? Stable flooring can actually help horses with arthritis. ComfortStall® Orthopeadic Sealed Flooring Systemcompliments the medications, therapies and in some cases even surgeries that are recommended by veterinarians. It’s not a replacement for veterinary care – it’s a complimentary orthopeadic therapy that can help horses 24/7, 365 days a year.

“In my opinion, as a horse owner, I think it is far superior to regular rubber mats for normal stabling,” according to Ann Townsend-Pors, LVT, Anesthesia Department at Cornell University Hospital for Animals, Ithaca, New York, USA, where more than a thousand horses a year recover from surgery on ComfortStall.

At the Equine Sports Medicine Centre at Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, England, Dr. Kate Allen, BVSc, Cert EM (IntMed), DipACVSMR, PhD, MRCVS, agrees, “ComfortStall provides superior cushioning." For horses with arthritis, comfortable cushion and support underfoot can make a world of difference.

First, what is arthritis?

Arthritis is a general term referring to inflammation of the joint and can range from inflammation of the synovial membrane and fibrous joint capsule, to intra-articular fractures and ligament injuries, to osteoarthritis, which is the progressive loss of articular cartilage.

It can be caused by acute trauma such as articular fracture or damage to articular cartilage, or it can result from years of wear and tear. Athletic performance horses can be susceptible to both causes, but arthritis is also found in young and senior horses. Conditions that predispose horses to arthritis are as diverse as genetics, conformation, training, trimming or shoeing, joint infections, fractures and the horse’s environment.

Signs of arthritis can be a sudden lameness, or it can begin gradually with a progression from less expressive gaits to an unwillingness to perform as usual, from stiffness that goes away after warming up to increasing lameness. Diagnosis is best left up to veterinary evaluation, but an old saying that too often proves true is, “If your horse lives long enough, he will eventually get arthritis.”

If your horse is lucky enough to be the exception, count it as a blessing. But if your horse is one of so many who suffer from arthritis, now there’s something you can do to complement medical treatment. The best kept secret for helping horses with arthritis is a secret no longer.

How can stable flooring help horses with arthritis?

Horses with arthritis need cushion and support underfoot. Horse owners worry about footing in their arenas, on the trail and in the pasture, but what about the stables where so many horses spend the majority of their leisure time – up to 23 or 24 hours a day in some cases.

Until recently, the horse owner’s onlyoption was to choose between hard rubber mats that aren’t much softer than the ground they cover, or soft rubber mats that provide little support and quickly wear out – and a deep layer of bedding that provides a dusty environment and creates respiratory problems for horses and humans alike.

That’s old school now there is a stable flooring system that helps horses cope with the unrelenting discomfort of arthritis.

ComfortStall® Orthopaedic Sealed Flooring System helps all horses – but especially horses with arthritis – achieve greater comfort and quality of life. Thanks to the therapeutic properties of its level surface that “springs” back with every step, ComfortStall supports joints, tendons and ligaments while it aids improved movement, flexibility and hoof quality.

Three elements help horses with arthritis

Three elements – the ComfortStall® IronClad™ TopCover, Precision Foam™ and HDPE Anchor Strips – work synergistically to help horses with arthritis.

Its top layer, the ComfortStall® IronClad™ TopCover, is pliable enough to deliver the therapeutic benefits of the padding it protects, yet tough enough to outlast everything but concrete. Made of three layers of dense, vulcanized rubber with two layers of tough, tightly woven polyester/nylon mesh sandwiched between provides unmatched structural stability, durability and an impermeable, waterproof surface.

Thanks to the IronClad™ TopCover’s non-slip, non-abrasive surface, horses can get up without scuffling, which reduces the stress on arthritic joints – plus hock sores are a thing of the past. The abrasion that creates hock sores never occurs with ComfortStall. Arthritic horses in particular benefit from its flexibility, as the horse’s bodyweight sinks its hooves down into the padded floor, so it can lie down and get up with ease.

The bottom layer is ComfortStall® Precision Foam™ proprietary orthopaedic padding, which eliminates the fatigue many horses experience when standing on traditional rubber mats, which is typically only 3% softer than concrete. Soft and supportive, Precision Foam’s chemically cross-linked polyethylene foam is laminated for structural stability, creating a stable, level surface that also insulates against cold and heat with a working temperature range of -70 to 175°F, absorbs vibration and shock, offers energy return, and is completely waterproof.

The comfort and support of Precision Foam™ not only provides a comfortable and supportive cushion to stand on, it also encourages them to lie down more and take the weight off their feet. It provides recumbent whole-body support for the ‘give’ under hip, shoulder and pastern bones the horse needs for quality rest. It’s not unusual to observe horses sleeping on bare ComfortStall flooring for hours at a time, getting their all-important REM sleep.

The ‘spring’ in this cushioned flooring massages the frog inside the horse’s hooves, which stimulates blood circulation with every step the horse takes – and anything that increases circulation helps arthritic horses. ComfortStall flooring has even been shown to reduce the need for standing wraps, thanks to its circulation-enhancing effect.

Around the perimeter of the stable, ComfortStall HDPE Anchor Strips seal the topcover to the stable walls, which prevents urine from becoming trapped underneath the stable flooring (as typically occurs with individual rubber mats) where it creates urea, bacteria and the ammonia fumes that are harmful to equine and human respiratory systems.

ComfortStall pays for itself in savings

When it comes to investing in your horse’s health, horse owners agree with the old saying “an ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure.” When it comes to beating the causes of vet bills, ComfortStall is the horse owner’s secret weapon. And it can even pay for itself, so read on!

Because bedding is needed only to absorb urine, not for comfort underfoot, ComfortStall significantly reduces the cost of buying, cleaning and disposing of bedding. In fact, it delivers a remarkable return on investment: Cost savings from using less bedding typically recovers the cost of buying and installing ComfortStall within six months to a year.

While it’s impossible to predict all the savings on vet bills, medication, nutraceuticals and other costs that the ComfortStall® Orthopaedic Sealed Flooring System can bring, it is possible to estimate your cost savings on bedding, labor and disposal. Click here for the ROI calculator and see what you can save!

Sound management practices

There’s no substitute for good management when it comes to caring for a horse with arthritis. The standard advice – in addition to an array of medications, supplements, nutraceuticals and therapeutic treatment modalities your vet can recommend – typically includes:

Maintain healthy weight to minimize the impact of overweight on already-compromised joints.

Monitor fitness to support overall health and immune system functions.

Provide appropriate exercise, whether that is regular riding and turnout or meandering around the pasture, to increase circulation and naturally lubricate joints.

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/back-to-basics2018-11-19T00:48:00-12:002019-01-03T04:15:52-12:00Back to BasicsLaura Marsh
eciding what to feed your horse can be a difficult decision. Vet Stephanie Davis takes things back to basics to help simplify the fundamentals of feeding horses.

It has become a recurring theme of mine to stress the importance of being proactive when it comes to our horse care. In my practice, we often discuss that the collective effects of our every day workouts are more demanding on the horse’s body than the competitions themselves. So, with that in mind, what can we do on a consistent proactive basis to ensure our horses remain healthy and perform at their best?

When it comes to sport horse management, owners tend to think about joint health before anything else. Joint management and health have been extensively researched in horses. This is because joint disease is one of the most common ailments that will limit a horse’s ability to perform. So, from that perspective, it is understandable that joint care is such an important topic of interest for horse owners. Based on research (see links below for a recent paper and literature), it has become widely accepted that a performance horse should have some sort of joint maintenance/health program. These programs will often consistent of monthly, weekly, or even daily joint care.

This same philosophy must also be applied to our horse’s nutrition. Every day that we give hay, grain, and/or supplements, we are influencing our horse’s bodies. The intent of proper feeding is to maximize their body condition, energy level, and performance. Unfortunately, equine nutrition can be overwhelming to understand. There are endless feeds and supplements on the market that make it difficult for horse owners to decide what is best for their horses. So, I think it is important to simplify and review the fundamentals of feeding horses.

To start simply, the horse needs forage and water. As complicated as nutrition can be, the basics are really that simple. Horses are designed to consume approximately 2% (22-28 pounds) of their bodyweight in forage (grass and hay) over the time span of a day. It cannot be overstated that the grass and hay that your horse consumes is the most important part of their diet.

Once the forage needs are met in your horse, the rest of the horse’s diet management can be built from there. Due to the process of harvesting and storage, hay will collect undesirable dust and mold spores. Additionally, once harvested, vitamins (particularly Vitamin A and E) in the hay will degrade. So, what can we do about the dust, mold, and vitamin loss? The hay steaming process eliminates dust, allergens, and mold spores. So, steamed hay is the ideal way to manage the undesirable particulate matter in the hay. Additionally, research has shown that horses also prefer to eat steamed hay over soaked or dry hay. Not only will the hay be clean and healthy, but the horse will be more likely to consume more of the steamed hay than dry hay. This can be extremely important when you start talking about re-feeding skinny horses or nutritionally rehabbing a thoroughbred off the track.

When it comes to the vitamin loss from harvesting hay, there is a small caveat to my statement that horses only need forage and water. If the amount fresh forage is very low (little turnout time), then the hay may not have the necessary vitamins and minerals. So, for those horses, an additional “ration balancer” would be necessary for the horse to have a complete diet. Many feed companies are now aware that there can be a vitamin deficiency with horses that consume more hay than fresh grass and create excellent products that can solve this problem. Most horses (regardless of their discipline) that do not get long stretches of turnout or live in an area of the country that has little grass should be on a ration balancer. Any other caloric needs beyond the steamed hay and ration balancer would be added in the form of a concentrate.

The most important take home message is that water, fresh grass, clean hay, and a ration balancer are the mainstay of a horse’s diet. Anything that is added to the diet beyond those should be based on the age, breed, discipline, geographic location, or disease state of the horse. No matter the program, it is always a good idea to go back to the basics and re-evaluate your feeding regimen to give your horses the opportunity to perform at their best.

Effects of hyaluronan alone or in combination with chondroitin sulfate and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine on lipopolysaccharide challenge-exposed equine fibroblast-like synovial cells. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28441052

In the heart of California’s Santa Ynez Valley, Katie Fisher operates Kingfisher Farms, where she cares mostly for racing Thoroughbreds. Cases range from horses recovering from severe injuries to those vacationing briefly from the track. “I’ve always been blown away by how soft ComfortStall flooring is,” she marvels. Katie has seen how well ComfortStall holds up over time: the original ComfortStall flooring was installed a decade ago in some stalls, where it is still performing like new, while the current ComfortStall flooring was recently installed in other stalls.

ComfortStall’s padded flooring offers relief to horses suffering from sore feet and symptoms of laminitis by providing a comfortable and supportive cushion to stand on which encourages them to lie down more and take the weight off their feet.

At her Aspen Equine Clinic in Northern California’s Windsor, Chari Perce finds ComfortStall a practical timesaver. "To sterilise a stable with rubber mats, I used to haul the mats out, hose them down, and leave them out to dry – a half-day job! The ComfortStall system is seamless and only takes half an hour to sterilise, and I don’t have the dried urine and manure buildup that occurs under mats."

ComfortStall provides thermal insulation so that neither extreme heat nor the cold and damp of concrete and packed-earth floors are problems.

Across the country in Ithaca, New York, a thousand horses a year at Cornell University Veterinary Hospital, one of the top 3 veterinarian hospitals in USA, recover from surgery on a ComfortStall. “The foam under-surface padding has held up very well,” reports Ann Townsend-Pors, LVT, Anesthesia Department. “We have had the original foam in all of the recovery stalls since 2005. Overall, it appears to be the best surface we have come across.”

Thanks to the therapeutic properties of ComfortStall’s level surface that springs back with every step, joints, tendons and ligaments are supported for improved joint health, movement, flexibility and hoof quality. The need for stable bandages virtually disappears because the rebound from every step on ComfortStall’s cushioned flooring massages the horse’s frogs and continually stimulates blood circulation.

Across the Atlantic, at the Lisadell Equine Hospital in Follistown, Ireland, ComfortStall performs on all counts. “We have found the floor to be very hard wearing, with good grip even when wet. It is not overly soft, yet allows enough give for horses to lie comfortably until they are ready to arise post-anesthetic,” according to Simon Hennessy, MVB MSc CertAVP(ESO)(ESST) MRCVS DipECVS.

ComfortStall’s non-slip, non-abrasive surface eliminates hock sores. The horses’ body weight sinks their hooves down into the padded floor, so they can lie down and get up with ease. ComfortStall provides recumbent whole-body support and the needed ‘give’ under the hip, shoulder and pastern bones when the horse lies down. Demonstrating improved quality of rest, horses have been seen sleeping on bare ComfortStall flooring for hours at a time, getting their all-important REM sleep.

At the Equine Sports Medicine Centre at Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, England, Dr Kate Allen, BVSc Cert EM(IntMed) DipACVSMR PhD MRCVS, says, “Having a sealed rubber matting system in the hospital is imperative for disinfection between horses ... to prevent urine seepage resulting in ammonia/bacteria build-up under unsealed rubber mats. Comfortstall provides superior cushioning and has resulted in less bedding being required."

Less bedding – just enough to absorb urine – is all that’s needed with ComfortStall, so dust from straw or shavings no longer assaults the respiratory systems of horses and the people who care for them. Happily, the need for less bedding reduces the cost of buying, cleaning and disposing of it. Those cost savings typically offset the cost of buying and installing ComfortStall within six months to a year.

1. How is 2018 going for you?

As always with horses the year has had its highs and lows. One of the biggest disappointments was the fact that I was selected for the World Equestrian Games, but due to lack of funds my federation was unable to send me, and I couldn’t find a sponsor willing to back a Para rider, especially as I was an individual. But as my trainer said, we will stay at home to enjoy our horses and have been able to go to some great shows here instead. James has had some great rides on his mare this year and I have been enjoying the light tour with Verdi.

2. What has been your best result so far?

James has had a couple of wins at regional level and has really started to gel with Fleurette. For me, I have to say that they may not have been my best results for the year, but my best rides were at the Flanders Dressage Event in August.

3. Where are you headed for in the Autumn?

Autumn for us is about keeping the horses fit, trying to get them out in the forest for some head space and preparing for next year’s competitions.

4. Who are your stable stars currently?

For me that would be Verdi. Last year we gave Louis seven months off to learn how to be a horse again as 2016 took it out of him. So, this year we have been working hard on him and once WEG was off the table we thought why rush, it's going so well we will keep our eyes on next year. For James it's always his girl, Fleurette!

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/five-reasons-your-horse-will-love-you-for-switching-to-steamed-hay2018-10-31T23:30:00-12:002018-11-01T00:27:40-12:00Five reasons your horse will love you for switching to steamed hayLaura MarshMore]]>
What does your horse think about his hay? If horses could only speak!

Listen to what your horse is telling you: Is he eating all his hay, or leaving some on the stable floor? Does he cough or have nasal discharge, or is his performance just not quite up to his usual standard? Does he have sore feet or gut problems? He may be telling you to look into his hay hygiene.

Nutritional value: You feel better when you’re eating well, right? So does your horse. Steamed hay retains nutritional value, so the level of nutrition your hay contains before steaming, remains in your hay after steaming. Your horse’s feeling of wellbeing depends to a great degree on good nutrition, so make sure your horse’s hay retains its nutritional value – you can do that AND virtually eliminate mold, fungi, yeast, bacteria and respirable particles.

Palatability: If your horse is a picky eater, you know how important palatability is to ensuring your horse gets the nutrition he needs. “That smells good enough for ME to eat,” is a frequent human comment on the fragrance of steamed hay. Horses agree, and the hay that smells good enough to eat, gets eaten.

Respiratory issues: “Achoo!” “Cough, cough.” “Ackkkk.” Do you hear any of those respiratory reactionsfrom your horse? Studies show that even when you don’t, your horse could still have respiratory issues. Steamed hay helps by “steam cleaning” naturally-occurring allergens such as respirable particles and bacteria out of your hay.

Laminitis and insulin resistance: These conditions require feeds low in NSC (non-structural carbohydrates) or sugars. Often, horse owners are advised to soak hay to reduce NSC, but studies show that even a 10-minute soak increases bacterial content by 150%. Steaming hay with Haygain reduces bacteria by 99%, so “steam after soaking” to protect your horse’s digestive system.

Colic: Poor forage hygiene caused by bacteria and mold has been identified as a risk factor for colic. Steaming hay with Haygain eliminates 99% of both. Especially in winter, providing plenty of fiber and hydration is essential risk reduction. For every bale of hay that is steamed, three quarters of a gallon of water is put back into hay. “Hay hygiene” with Haygain is smart anti-colic strategy.

Haygain hay steamers are the only scientifically proven method to kill mold, fungi, yeast and bacteria in hay and reduce up to 98% of respirable dust particles – contaminants that can be found even in the best, most expensive hay. Steaming hay with Haygain retains nutritional value, improves palatability and helps manage respiratory issues, laminitis, insulin resistance, colic and post-surgery recovery.

Your horse already loves you for many things – a hot bran mash on a winter morning or a cooling shower on a hot afternoon, not to mention that long gallop on the beach or cool hack through the woods.

Now you have five more reasons your horse will love you – all for switching to steamed hay. And you’ll love Haygain Hay Steamers for helping reduce these risks to your horse’s health.

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/forage-feeding-news-from-the-european-workshop-in-equine-nutrition-20182018-10-25T21:04:00-12:002018-10-25T21:35:46-12:00Forage Feeding News from the European Workshop in Equine Nutrition 2018 - Part 2Laura Marsh
The 9thEuropean Workshop in Equine Nutrition took place at SLU in Uppsala, Sweden from the 16-18thAugust 2018. Here are a few highlights of what’s being discussed and presented in the professional equine research and nutrition world.

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Written by: Andrea Ellis PhD, MRSE
The 9th European Workshop in Equine Nutrition took place at SLU in Uppsala, Sweden from the 16-18th August 2018. Following part 1 highlights, here are a few more highlights of what’s being discussed and presented in the professional equine research and nutrition world:

Session II - Metabolism and Health

The invited speaker, Assist. Prof James Harper from Sam Houston University, USA, introduced the current status of knowledge we have in other species from mice to humans in relation to regulating calorie intake and quality of feed, this time in relation to lifespan and metabolic health. Calorie restriction has shown to prolong lifespan in most species but how relevant is this for the horse? We seem to have an increase in overweight populations both in humans as well as in many of their companion animals, like dogs, cats and horses. We can learn from these studies that prevention of obesity and maintaining a good body-condition (4-5 scored out of 9) is imperative for prevention of metabolic conditions and a healthy long life. Through this a much healthier and more effective immune system is maintained, inflammation is reduced and various conditions directly linked to hyperinflammation can be avoided such as metabolic syndrome (including insulin resistance, laminitis, hypertension) and in humans (artherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes and heart disease).

My take away message – there is a lot of overlap between me and my horses’ nutritional needs: scrap unhealthy take-aways and sweets (sugar lumps for horses), keep high sugar and starch feed to a minimum (any food containing white flour and potatoes for us humans) and ensure our animals are fed close to or slightly below the calculated calorie requirements. Avoid the wrong types of nutrients which can increase inflammatory processes such as sugars and starches. Light to medium exercise is also protective.

2. Following this Maria Wilhelmson presented a survey on the current feeding practices of horse owners across Europe and including some owners from the USA. She also wanted to establish if their knowledge and understanding of feeding translates into actual practice. Sweden, UK & Ireland came out top with their knowledge as well as translating this into practice providing very good levels of forage or/and grass/turnout for their horses, North-America sat in the ‘middle’, while Germany came out bottom in turning horses out on grass or level of forage feeding.

My take away message – Although, over 70% of horse owners described their horses as leisure animals, the use of concentrate feed was still too high. However, many fed very low levels, possibly just to be a ‘vehicle’ to balance the diet with supplements, so that is good news. To balance a diet properly you should consult an equine nutritionist or do a ration calculation. 3. Anna Garber presented a study from her PhD work at the University of Glasgow. She measured changes to the equine microbiome (a summary term for all the little critters – bacteria/protozoa/fungi - in the equine gut, which are so important to maintain good gut-health and help with nutrient digestion) – when suddenly moving from hay to grassland and return back to hay. As predicted a sudden change in microbial populations occurred especially in the first few days.

My take away message – Although avoiding sudden changes seems ‘old hat’, this study showed that even when turning out horses only once a week while feeding conserved forage in between is not ideal and this underlines the latest recommendations that horses should have daily access to turnout/grass, even if just for a couple of hours to avoid sudden changes when turning out on weekends.

4. Louise Lautsen, from the University of Liverpool, presented a study which aimed to reduce the occurrence of faecal water in horses, which have suffered from this for a long while. Louise and her team of researchers wanted to test the theory that this is something to do with the microbial population in the hindgut. So they measured the effect of introducing a ‘whole new set’ of microbiota into the affected horses by using faecal matter from ‘non-suffering’ horses. Results were promising, reducing the occurrence and severity considerably.

Take Away Message: There seems to be a possible link between the hindgut microbiota and faecal water occurrence. In a survey on management of horses with faecal water in Northern Europe, presented by Louise Lautsen, changing from wrapped forages (haylages) to hay showed a positive effect in 63% of horses, and this also points towards changes in microbiota in the hindgut. Developing a ‘faecal transplant protocol’ may help in severe cases, however we need more research to try and prevent this problem in the first place. Feeding correct amounts and quality of forage can only help in that respect.

5. Rebecca Bushell, University of Edinburgh, presented a survey on feeding senior horses. This established actual feeding practices both in horse owners with senior horses (from ages 16-35 years old) as well as the advice given by veterinarians and equine dentists. Horses start to loose teeth from the age of 20 and it is advised to adjust feed accordingly. Most horse owners do not start to adjust feed until weight loss occurs. Regular dental checks and getting nutritional advice from a trained nutritionist is advised.

Take Away Message: Even senior horses need mainly fibre, initially chopping and later, as tooth-loss progresses, soaking forage pellets to make a mash will help. Feeding at least 4 times a day, away from ‘competition’ can keep an aged horse in pretty good condition. These horses are also mostly turned out on pasture.

6. Prof Meriel Moore-Colyer presented Abbey Hookey’s Masters research at the Royal Agricultural University, which looked at the effect of soaking and/or steaming on reducing the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content in various hays. This is necessary for horses which require a low WSC diet (less than 120g/kg dry matter) due to health issues, such as metabolic syndrome or previous laminitis episodes. Soaking has been shown to successfully reduce WSC level if soaked long enough, but the negative side of this is that it increases bacteria and mould contamination and leads to a loss in important vitamins and minerals, as well as polluting the environment with the discarded water. Hay species showed some individual effects with perennial rye grass showing the least promising reduction and meadow hay the highest reduction.

Take Away Message: Soak and steam showed the best results in relation to WSC loss while keeping bacteria to a minimum. This highlights that nutrient analysis after treatments may be advised for the particular batch of hay you use, if your horse required low WSC hays for health reasons.

7. Dr Simon Daniels from the Royal Agricultural University, UK presented a study on the effect of treating forage using the Haygain Steamer in comparison to soaking on bacterial populations in the samples. This study confirmed that steaming reduces the contamination with bacteria considerably, while soaking may actually increase it, this study also showed that there is great individuality between different hay batches.

The majority of horse owners now know the fact that if we scope any sample of normal “healthy” horses, its likely we will find some degree of airway inflammation present in 7 or 8 out of 10. This raises the important question, if its so common, does that mean its normal?

Perhaps from the outset it would be good to make some definitions or explanations of these terms that are thrown around all the time, particularly airway inflammation and normal versus common.

Depending on where in the body the “insult” is, different cells of the immune system will be involved, including predominantly neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, lymphocytes, basophils, platelets, mast cells and macrophages.If we start with inflammation in general, inflammation is a response of living tissues to harmful stimuli such as heat, cold, airborne pollutants (e.g. ozone, PM10 from car exhausts, soot, smoke), pollens, moulds (fungi), dust or forage mites, particles (dust, fibreglass, asbestos, cement dust, wood dust, animal dander), gases (e.g. hydrogen peroxide, sulphuric acid) and liquids. In addition, infection with bacteria or viruses or protozoa or mycoplasma also leads to an inflammatory response. An inflammatory response is generated by the cells of the immune system usually as a result of either contact with the skin, ingestion or inhalation. When a horse or person reacts to something that they have become sensitised to this is termed an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction is an over-reaction to something. So for example, for a person with a peanut allergy, their immune system reacts a 100 or 1000 time more vigorously to some of the different types of proteins present in the peanut. So typically we have five types of inflammatory response – irritant (e.g. ozone, gases, cold), allergic (e.g. to specific feedstuffs, pollens, moulds), infectious (e.g. associated with viral or bacterial infection), inflammatory response due to physical injury (e.g. the response of a twisted ankle is inflammatory) and finally an inflammatory response associated with many non-infectious disease processes (e.g. inflammation of the heart muscle in cardiac disease, inflammation of the liver in liver disease).

What is inflammation? The key features of inflammation are:

Heat

Pain

Redness

Swelling

Loss of or abnormal function

The origin of the term inflammation relates to the Latin inflammare, which means to “set on fire” and reflects the heat and redness components of inflammation. Inflammatory responses can occur very quickly, sometimes within seconds and may last for years.

The nature, severity and duration of the inflammatory response depends on the severity and duration of exposure, what the horse has been exposed to and also the horse’s current health and genetics.

Let’s consider a six year old horse with no obvious respiratory disease and put into a dusty stable for the first time. This horse could suffer an acute (rapid and short) inflammatory response. The airways may within minutes constrict a little, there may be some increase in numbers of neutrophils and eosinophils in the airways (these come from the lungs blood supply and within the lung tissue itself and travel into the airways). The cells that produce mucus which are in the walls of the airways may produce a little more mucus. But we are unlikely to see anything and if we go back a few days later we may still not be aware of any changes. But, let’s say that horse is in that stable 12h a day for the next 2 years. If we were then to go back and ‘scope this horse we might well see some changes. This is because chronic (long term) inflammation can have several outcomes. The first is that the airway walls become thicker as a result of repeated inflammation and effectively the laying down of scar tissue in the walls. At the same time the muscles around the airways, which constrict when necessary to protect the lungs from irritants, become thicker and more reactive. The cells that produce mucus may also have increased how much mucus they produce which leads to smaller airways becoming blocked. Now the horse has equine asthma (previously referred to as RAO or equine COPD). This is a chronic disease which the horse is not going to recover from. It can be managed with improved air quality and drugs as required, but this horses’ lungs will not return to being “normal”. Equine asthma is a disease for life. Typically the onset is a round 5-6 years of age and it is more common as horses become older, similar to late onset asthma in people. The amazing thing is that until such horses often have an exacerbation – a clinical episode where no one can be in doubt the horse has respiratory disease (e.g. cough, nasal discharge, reduced performance, etc), the owner may not be aware of what has been going on in the lungs.

Although the early stages of long-term respiratory conditions such as equine asthma are “silent”, i.e. we would not know its there unless we carried out endoscopy, the one signal that for decades has been accepted as “normal” and which should not be ignored is coughing. Many owners when asked about their horses’ respiratory health will say that their horse “never coughs”. However, if we ask a slightly different question, such as “does your horse ever cough when you first start riding”, many owners will answer “yes”, but clarify that with a statement such as “ah yes, he does cough when warming up, but that’s normal and just clearing his throat”. The horse is clearing something, but it’s not his throat, its mucus clearing from the airways as a result of the increase in air movement and its certainly not normal and should never be ignored. Horses with even very mild respiratory symptoms such as occasional cough or occasional slight nasal discharge can show moderate to severe respiratory disease when ‘scoped.

Several years ago Dr Colin Roberts, an equine respiratory medicine specialist, and myself ‘scoped eight British Endurance Team horses before a major competition. All horses lived out 24/7. None was showing any symptoms of respiratory disease. Seven out of the eight required treatment. And we have seen the same in many elite horses and in many livery yards. Different studies of “normal” horses with no clinical (i.e. external visible) signs of respiratory disease have consistently found that 70-80% of stabled horses will have respiratory disease.

So, back to the original question, if it’s so common, is it normal and does it matter? To understand if its normal we need to look at what happens in wild horse populations or extensively managed horse populations. What we see here is a much lower level of respiratory disease. One reason could be that these populations live in areas with better air quality, but this is likely only part of the explanation. A second reason could be related to the hygiene hypothesis. In parts of the world where people are regularly exposed to parasites and have less antibiotic treatment there are much lower levels of allergic type diseases. I am 100% not suggesting anyone should not worm their horse or refuse antibiotic treatment for their horse as these are two of the factors which help explain why life expectancy of domesticated horses is probably twice that of true wild horses. The final part of the jigsaw when it comes to equine asthma is likely to be purely and simply allergen exposure. The more allergens and the longer the time a horse is exposed to allergens such as pollens, moulds, bacteria, mites, etc, the more likely it is to suffer from airway inflammation which if persistent is likely to increase the risk of equine asthma. Whilst some exposure to these allergens occurs when the horse is outside, by far the majority of the exposure comes in the stable from hay and or bedding, particularly straw and lower quality shavings. In addition, when stabled the horses normal protective mechanism for keeping its airways clear is inactive! In simple terms, when a horse is out and grazing its head is down which helps mucus move up the airways and reduces accumulation. Accumulation of mucus is something every bacteria in the horses airways is waiting for. Every horse, even the most healthy horse, has some bacteria present in its airways waiting for an opportunity. Tying a horses head up for as little as 6h can lead to the number of bacteria in the airways increasing several 100 and even up to 1000 times. So its clear that reducing exposure to potential irritants and allergens can reduce the risk of airway inflammation and in the long term, equine asthma.

But we come back to the question, does it matter? Firstly, as in people, chronic respiratory disease in horses impacts severely on their quality of life. Secondly, respiratory disease has a severe financial burden in terms of vets bills, medication, nebulisers, etc. Thirdly, there is the lost riding time for horses severely affected. Its no fun even for pleasure riding to be out on a coughing horse or a horse that can no longer manage to exercise easily and comfortably. Finally, the effect of even mild respiratory disease on performance has been well documented in many different studies from race horses to eventers, to dressage horses, showjumpers and even gymkhana ponies. If respiratory disease is present, even without any obvious clinical signs (no cough, no nasal discharge), then this will be negatively affecting performance.

To summarise, airway inflammation in horses is extremely common. Its not normal and even the slightest indication such as the occasional cough or a mild nasal discharge are an indication to speak to your vet and think about ‘scoping. The risk of a horse or pony developing chronic airway inflammation or in the longer term, equine asthma, is largely down to air quality when stabled. Even in foals as young as 3 months old its possible to see the difference in the airways between those on poor versus good management. Prevention in this case is always better than cure, which once horses have equine asthma, is no longer an option.

History

Nebulisation is a long-standing method of treating acute & chronic respiratory conditions – in both Humans & Equines. Nebulisation is the conversion of liquid medication to aerosol for inhalation direct to the site of the problem – the lungs.

It is not uncommon to know a human asthmatic, and recent studies show that up to 81% of horses examined for poor performance, showed signs of Inflammatory Airway Disease*. (Nolen-Walston, R.D., Harris, M., Agnew, M.E., Martin, B.B., Reef, V.B., Boston, R.C., and Davidson, E.J. (2013) Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, April 15, 2013, Vol. 242).

In the past, the commonly recommended course of treatment has been for the horse to ‘live out in the fresh air’ 365 days of the year and avoid having them living in enclosed environments, with bedding & potentially dusty forage whilst also commonly taking oral medications. This is just not a feasible option for many modern horse owners, and certainly is difficult for those competition horses who must live in stables & enclosed environments whilst competing. This has often led to respiratory conditions potentially holding back horses from achieving their full potential in their competitive lives.

Not only this, but the effects of the body absorbing and processing medications systemically (orally, intra-muscular or intra venous injections) in the long term, can be challenging for the animal & costly for the owner.

Nebuliser Alternatives

Before the concept of Flexineb Equine Nebuliser devices was introduced, it was not uncommon for forward thinking & respiratory conscious Veterinarians worldwide to begin using Human Nebulisers to administer medication to horses. The understanding being that Nebulisation was the Gold Standard in respiratory care and of course less systemic affects for the horse. Particularly when it came to the use of Corticosteroids, to help reduce inflammatory responses in the respiratory tract.

This was a novel approach certainly, however the loud compressor in the nebuliser, tubes & hoses can lead to the horse becoming frightened and also requires the owner to attempt to hold a human nebuliser mask to one nostril, whilst also negotiating with a potentially frightened horse due to the loud noise of a compressor! Similarly, the question was asked of how effective this treatment option really was as the nebulisers aerosol was designed for human lungs with a capacity of about 6 litres of air, and not that of a horse which is roughly 55 litres of air. Was it really capable of being effective for the animal?

The introduction of MDI (Metered Dose Inhalers) is also quite commonplace in equine use & utilised with a spacer device, allowing the owner to administer several puffs of Human Inhaler to the horse via a spacer. This does also require one nostril to be held closed, for the horse to inhale the treatment through the spacer device. This can however, become quite costly, as a horses lungs would be roughly 10 times the size of our human lungs, thus if a human would take 2 puffs twice daily, then a horse would potentially take 20 puffs twice daily….. you can do the maths!!

Why is Flexineb Different?

Flexineb has been designed using Vibrating Mesh Technology, which is a technology commonly used in Human medicine – in Acute Care & ICU settings. It is an exceptionally effective technology at converting liquid into aerosol for inhalation, & highly sensitive. Flexineb provides excellent quality aerosol, which is so important – as if the aerosol is too large in particle size, the lung can struggle to absorb it & if it is too small it is also difficult to absorb. Flexineb delivers aerosol whereby 71% of the aerosol, is a size which the lower lung can absorb & the remaining 29% of medication will be delivered to the upper respiratory tract & trachea. This aerosol analysis is carried out by Spraytech Analysis, & Nortev the manufacturers of Flexineb, are one of very few human & veterinary nebulisation companies to have invested in this technology.

Flexineb is completely silent, with an exceptionally comfortable, Flexineb rubber mask which is comfortable for the horse to wear, particularly with the sensitive nerve endings & thin skin of the face. It is fully adjustable for all head sizes, and 3 mask sizes are available Foal, Standard & XL.

Flexineb was designed, with the input of many key leading veterinarians & horse trainers ensuring as an end user of Flexineb, you have an excellent, efficient and easy to use product to help manage equine respiratory disease in a practical & effective way.

Benefits of Flexineb

Flexineb allows both veterinarians and owners to deliver low doses of medication to the horses airways, specifically targeting the animals respiratory issue. This allows regular treatment as prescribed by the veterinarian to be delivered at home & efficiently with less systemic effects on the animal’s body due to targeted, low dose drug delivery. Efficient & cost effective, Flexineb allows the delivery of Antibiotics, Corticosteroids to manage airway inflammation, Bronchodilators in the case of horses with laboured & difficult breathing, Mucolytics to allow the breaking up & liquifying of mucous and other natural product options to help maintain optimum lung health.

Designed & Developed in Ireland, Flexineb is available through Haygain in the UK and a Network of Global Distributors Worldwide.

To rug, or not to rug? That is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the squall and torrents of midwinter blizzard, or to blanket against a brisk northerly and, by opposing, end them. With apologies to Shakespeare, every equestrian knows the drama of keeping a horse comfortable in autumn/winter. There are many articles about over-use of rugs on the internet, but people still do it. So now I’m literally going to get beneath the surface (of rugs!) using the latest research, to explain how horses keep themselves warm and the differences between us and them.

It starts with the fact that both people and horses generate their own body heat because we are both warm-blooded mammals. Yet, when people feel cold, our horses are perfectly comfortable because they have two extra features:

a huge reservoir of active bacteria called the caecum – part of the digestive system

a fur coat (or even a double-coat)

The Caecum

If we think of the body as a house, both humans and horses have a central heating system, but the horse’s caecum is like an extra-large wood-burner. The caecum is three times larger than the stomach, and sits on the right of the abdominal cavity, in between the small and large intestine. The horse naturally consumes and cultivates a vast population of bacteria from their food, and these bacteria can generate a lot of heat as they help the horse with digestion. Forage (specifically structural carbohydrate, such as cellulose in stems) generates the most heat.

Long-stem forage can be among the highest calorie, or the lowest calorie food for fat horses. Straw has half the calories of good hay and is clean and convenient to use. Nutritionists agree we can feed up to 30% of the ration as clean straw, alongside stemmy hay [1]. A Haygain steamer will soften stems to protect the stomach lining. Feed steamed forage while still warm in an effective slow feeder, like the Forager. This will ensure thorough chewing and a steady supply of fibre-fuel to the bacteria in the caecum.

Hay, of higher quality and quantity, is best for warming a thin horse that feels the cold. If a horse lacks appetite, obtain hay from a variety of sources, and steam it: for increased palatability; increased warmth, and to retain nutrients. Extra calories can be provided by the addition of oil to a forage-based bucket feed.

The coat

The horse’s fur coat stops body heat escaping, but doesn’t add heat – but neither do rugs. A healthy unclipped horse adjusts their own coat by fluffing-up to remain comfortable as conditions change through the day. This is an automatic response called piloerection. It uses the same little muscles that we call goose-bumps. Except, the horse has much denser, thicker hair, so more effective – especially if the rain-repelling natural oils in their coat are not removed by over-grooming. Some horses don’t grow much coat, or need to be clipped for their own benefit. But if you think a horse needs several rugs – think again. Using 3, 4 (even 5!) rugs restricts movement, increases pressure on the withers, and pushes out any trapped air rendering the bottom rug nearly useless! Use one, deep-bodied, clean, waterproof rug with a tail flap and neck-cover. If a thin horse still shivers, consult a vet. Horses prefer to shelter from wind before the rain, and finally cold [2]. A shelter can keep a horse more comfortable than rain-sheets and rugs, even when part-clipped. When the rain stops, the horse can shake themselves to dry their own coat very quickly. Haygain-steamed hay will protect respiratory health in stables and shelters.

Other natural mechanisms

In addition to the caecum and coat, three other related mechanisms help mammals be warm: body fat; metabolism and movement. Two types of body fat are of interest for warmth:

white fat, which we associate with obesity. Excess ‘white fat’ only insulates the body from heat loss, just as ‘blubber’ does for seals. It does not generate heat.

Active brown fat also releases a chemical that triggers the white fat to break down and replenish muscle energy stores, but only if the blood-sugar is low.

Different amounts of active fat may be one reason why some individuals become obese and others don’t. I say ‘individuals’, rather than ‘horses’, because some 20 years ago researchers failed to find true ‘brown fat’ deposits in new-born foals, and no-one seems to have looked for it since. However, the physical effects of metabolically active ‘brite’ fat have been widely observed in adult horses – even if not born with it. The mechanisms are there to make brite fat [3]. Also, stem cells are found in equine body fat. So perhaps these produce new, metabolically-active, blood-sugar-burning brite fat if the body needs it? The most recent research (in rodents and humans) also found white fat cells can turn into brite fat cells when the individual takes frequent, prolonged, aerobic exercise. For example, endurance trained rats burn 15% more calories at rest than identical sedentary rats [4].

Prolonged aerobic exercise is severely lacking in too many leisure horses these days. Arena schooling barely raises their heart rate. The horse’s lower leg conserves energy in trot and canter. Worse, is when owners erroneously believe a paddock layout of complex tracks provides enough aerobic exercise. Many horses have too low a metabolism from previous management practices and now they have access to too much food as well. The resulting obesity is blamed on the soil, ryegrass, lack of biodiversity, mineral imbalances… anything but the lack of exercise, it seems!

Turnout in cold weather is healthy in many other ways for fat horses and the metabolism ramps-up and burns more calories. Horses also burn calories in large muscles when they shiver; generating heat just like exercise. Their core body temperature won’t drop in only a few hours, if they have sufficient forage in the diet to keep the caecum active. So, it is positively healthy to avoid rugs and let fat horses shiver for a couple of hours a day. With ad-lib access to a shelter and an appropriate supply of steamed, low-calorie forage, even a part-clipped horse can stay un-rugged all winter, lose weight and still be comfortable.

This article reviews some of the proposed causes of breathlessness associated with exercise in the athletic horse and explains some of the terminology and abbreviations commonly used. Breathlessness is the ‘feeling that one cannot breathe well enough’. Similar terms are ‘out of breath’, ‘shortness of breath’ and within the veterinary or medical literature is often called dyspnoea, respiratory discomfort or even respiratory distress.

Respiratory rate increases as exercise intensity increases. During canter and gallop breathing and locomotion become linked, with the horse taking one breath every one stride. Respiratory rate recovery is the period after exercise that it takes for respiratory rate to return to normal resting levels. Respiratory rate recovery is often subjectively used by riders and trainers as an indicator of fitness.

Breathlessness is considered normal in response to heavy exercise but is concerning when associated with light exertion. A key problem for both riders and vets when encountering a horse which appears ‘out of breath’ after exercise is differentiating between what could be considered ‘physiologically normal’ or appropriate in the setting of intense exercise and those indicating an underlying disease or disorder.

There are many factors which can influence the degree of breathlessness seen after exercise: exercise intensity, weather conditions, breed, fitness and body weight are examples. Breathlessness is also exacerbated during/after exercise in the presence of veterinary/medical conditions and the key conditions are described in a bit more detail below.

Exercise-induced hypoxaemia and hypercapnia

In normal, fit, healthy Thoroughbreds during high intensity exercise, arterial oxygen levels can drop from 100mgHg at rest to 70mmHg at gallop and carbon dioxide levels can rise from 45mmHg at rest to 55mmHg at gallop. Interestingly this does not occur in many other species and does not occur in ponies undertaking strenuous exercise. Therefore, in contrast to ponies, the horse does not ventilate the lungs sufficiently for the level of work it is performing. After exertion, respiratory rate will gradually return to resting levels. The speed of this return is dependent on the intensity and duration of exercise, fitness level of the horse, and the climatic conditions.

Exercise-induced pharyngeal/laryngeal obstructions

In contrast to human athletes and greyhounds the horse cannot switch to mouth breathing as exercise intensity increases. As a result, the horse can experience both pharyngeal and laryngeal obstructions during exercise. These are also known as pharyngeal or laryngeal collapse or grouped together as upper airway collapse or upper airway obstructions. In the horse, several different forms of pharyngeal or laryngeal obstructions can occur and obtaining an accurate diagnosis is important. These conditions obstruct the airway having a detrimental effect on ventilation and performance. Typically, an abnormal noise can be detected during exercise.

Images obtained during exercise in various horses showing several of the different types of exercise induced pharyngeal and laryngeal obstructions that can occur

Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH)

Also known in the equine industry as ‘bleeding’ or ‘bursting blood vessels’, EIPH refers to bleeding (haemorrhage) from blood vessels within the lung. During strenuous exercise in the horse, the high pressures in the blood vessels and the low pressures in the airways can be high enough that the walls of the small capillaries in the lungs break. As a result, free blood enters the airways. As the amount of free blood increases the blood can be seen in the trachea and eventually at the nostrils. Bleeding at a low level essentially occurs in all racehorses. As the severity increases, athletic performance is negatively affected.

A BAL (or lung wash) obtained from a horse with EIPH 30 mins after exercise.

Asthma

Asthma is well known in people and is now proposed as the term vets use to encompass RAO (Recurrent Airway Obstruction), COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), heaves and IAD (Inflammatory Airway Disease). IAD was used to describe performance horses which had accumulations of mucus and inflammatory cells in their airways. RAO was used to describe more severe cases which not only had accumulations of mucus and inflammatory cells but evidence of airway obstruction. Equine asthma has a detrimental effect on ventilation and gas exchange and increases the effort required to breathe.

Microscope image of a tracheal wash from a horse with asthma, showing increased neutrophils (inflammatory cells)

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB)

Bronchoconstriction is narrowing of the airways and is the most common chronic medical condition in human athletes. Exercise- induced bronchoconstriction is a component of asthma but can also occur in humans in the absence of asthma. Athletes are most at risk if their sport involves sustained high ventilation or if it takes place in a provocative environment (e.g. cold climate, chlorinated swimming pool). In human athletes it is characterised by wheeze, chest tightness, cough and dyspnoea. Because of the difficulties in undertaking lung function tests in horses compared to humans, to what extent exercise-induced bronchoconstriction occurs in horses is not yet well understood. Given that the magnitude of hyperventilation in humans is related to EIB, it is certainly possible that it occurs in horses, whose exercise-induced increase in relative ventilation is more than double that of humans.

Dysfynctional/abnormal breathing patterns

A term used to describe changes in breathing pattern in humans that result in dyspnoea in the absence of, or in excess of, respiratory disease. Work is currently underway to further investigate breathing patterns in horses. It has been shown that horses do adopt abnormal breathing patterns during exercise – for example take one breath over two strides, if they have severe respiratory disease.

Respiratory muscle weakness

The respiratory pump muscles, such as the diaphragm, undertake the work of breathing i.e. they move large volumes of air in and out of the lungs during exercise. In human athletes it is known that during high intensity exercises the respiratory pump muscles themselves fatigue. This negatively affects athletic performance through several complex mechanisms. It has also been shown that specific training can delay respiratory muscle fatigue, where as illness, exercise in heat can exacerbate it. In humans, fatigue of the respiratory muscles is a powerful stimulus to slow down the exercise being undertaken. Work is currently underway to understand respiratory muscle fatigue in horses.

Other

In addition to the conditions listed above, any form of heart or respiratory disease is likely to negatively affect breathing during exercise. Furthermore, painful conditions or conditions elsewhere in the body (e.g. abdomen) could also give the appearance of breathlessness in individual horses.

Conclusions

There are multiple disorders that can affect breathing and have the potential to cause breathlessness. Teasing apart the causes of inappropriate breathlessness associated with exercise in the horse may require comprehensive diagnostic investigations.

1.Tell us about your current string of horses.I currently have an exciting string of horses, with Wii Limbo and Halltown Harley at 4* level. I also have a couple of horses at one and two star level that will aim to step up to 3* in 2019.

Then the next generation are my 4 and 5 year old who have just started eventing and are also looking very exciting. 2. What is your biggest career highlight so far? It has to be winning my first CCI*** at Millstreet this year. I have also won the Austrian Nations Cup in 2017. As well as those successes I have had 16 4* completions so far.

3. How has the 2018 season been for you? I have had a great year, I think my best so far. Having lots of consistent results at all levels but the icing on the cake has to be winning Millstreet CCI*** and also competing in America for the first time, finishing 2nd by 0.1 in the CIC*** Nations Cup.

4. What will you plan to do over the winter with the horses you currently have? So the horses will have a bit of a holiday this winter after their last event, then it will be a case of bringing them back into work and doing some dressage and show jumping over the winter in preparation for the 2019 season.

5.What is your favourite event?I don’t really have a favourite event, but I think Gatcombe and Barbury are definitely lovely to compete at.

6.What’s the one bit of kit you can’t live without? There is so much kit I couldn’t live without, each part of out equipment and team is equally as important but we have certainly found the Haygain to be an essential part of our equipment and day to day routine.

7.What is the best piece of advice you have been given? It is quite a simple but effective piece of advice, It is important to jump between the flags!8.What got you into eventing? I originally show jumped, but got in to eventing when I was 15 and I absolutely loved it. I decided to stick at it and then left school and set it up as a business from there and I am lucky to have had so much support from family and amazing owners and sponsors.

“Team Spence will be working closely with Haygain to ensure the horses stay happy and healthy. We have been using Haygain for nearly 2 years now so it’s great to receive advice and support from a company we already value so highly!”

Find out more about the benefits of Haygain]]>
https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/no-cough-no-worries-don-t-believe-it2018-10-18T22:35:00-12:002018-10-18T23:36:28-12:00No cough, no worries? Don’t believe it!Laura MarshTempting as it may be, don’t think that if you don’t hear your horse cough, there’s no need to be concerned about respiratory problems. The “no cough, no worries” myth is just that … a myth. Read on for answers to your questions about coughing horses and equine respiratory disease.

It’s easy to think that because you never hear your horse cough, he actually never coughs. But how much time do you really spend with your horse? You may only be at the yard for a few hours each day.

Why does this matter? Because he may cough – even a few times – during the 160 hours a week you can’t hear him, but you’ll think he never coughs. However, that doesn’t mean you’re a bad horse owner. Actually, you’re in good company with the rest of the equestrian world. Ask almost any horse owner and she will tell you her horse doesn’t cough, either, and for the very same reason – she’s not around long enough to hear the occasional cough.

“Studies have shown that horses may cough once and then three hours later cough six times, then 12 hours later cough twice, etc. They do not cough regularly like people. So unless you fit a video camera, or put a microphone in the stable, or spend 24 hours with your horse, you won’t know how often he coughs,” explains Dr. David Marlin, PhD, equine exercise physiologist, researcher, author and Professor of Physiology at Oklahoma State University.

Is a Little Cough, a Big Deal?

Misperceptions about horses coughing are ingrained in our equestrian world:

“All horses cough a bit when they warm up.”

“It’s just a little dust from the arena.”

“It’s just a little dust from the shavings.”

“He’s just clearing his throat.”

“It’s really dry this year.”

Dr. Marlin’s perspective is unequivocal: “It appears to be commonly believed that it’s okay for a horse to cough a few times when warming up. It’s not. It indicates respiratory disease.”

What is Equine Respiratory Disease?

Respiratory diseases include both infectious and non-infectious conditions. Infectious equine respiratory diseases include bacterial and viral infections such as strangles and equine influenza. Non-infectious equine respiratory diseases include a spectrum of respiratory disorders known as Equine Asthma. This includes conditions such as Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO), also known as Broken Wind or Heaves.

Respiratory diseases in horses are very common and have a variety of causes, from the infectious diseases that spread quickly through large stables or yards to the non-infectious diseases that are frequently due to equine allergies or hypersensitivity to allergens in the stable environment.

How can I tell if my horse has a Respiratory Disease?

A cough is only one sign of equine respiratory disease; other signs range from those that are easy to identify to those that are quite difficult for a horse owner to evaluate:

Nasal discharge

Increased respiratory rate

Increased respiratory effort

Flaring of the nostrils

Respiratory noise, at rest or during exercise

Poor recovery

Lower performance

If you keep a riding journal, you can look each day for those signs and note if or when they appear. Especially for the more subtle signs, a track record of performance, for example, can help you describe to your vet the symptoms and history that can help him help your horse.

If you don’t keep a journal, now is a great time to start. It can be as simple as notes on a calendar, a written journal you keep in your grooming box or an app on your smartphone.

How often does Equine Respiratory Disease occur?

More frequently than you may expect, especially if you’ve been unaware of equine respiratory disease until now. Even more remarkable is the number of horses with respiratory disease whose owners see no symptoms or signs of the problem before their horses are scoped by a veterinarian.

Another study, reported by Dr. David Marlin in August 2017, found that Swiss veterinarian Dr. Connie Herholz invited owners of 60 show jumpers and 52 dressage horses to come to her clinic for a free health check. Although the owners considered their horses to be perfectly healthy, Dr. Herholz found equine respiratory disease present in 53% of the horses scoped.

In further studies, Dr. Marlin and equine internal medicine specialist veterinarian Dr. Colin Roberts scoped eight British three-day event horses two months prior to travel to the Olympics. Even though all the riders were confident their horses were healthy, equine endoscopy and laboratory tests resulted in seven of the eight horses being treated for equine respiratory disease.

Dr. Marlin reports, “We also scoped 14 international endurance horses which were all performing as expected and not reported to be coughing. Many of the owners were reluctant to have their horses scoped initially because they lived out 24/7 and ‘won’t have respiratory disease’. As a result of the endoscopy and laboratory tests, 12 of the 14 horses were treated for equine respiratory disease!”

What can I do to prevent my horse coughing?

First, observe. Does your horse have any of the signs noted above? If yes, call your veterinarian to have your horse scoped – that’s the definitive way to diagnose equine respiratory disease. Your vet will prescribe any needed medications and can advise you on environmental improvements to help prevent and manage equine respiratory disease.

To help prevent equine respiratory disease due to environmental conditions, reduce as much dust from your horse’s environment as possible. Stall bedding – both straw and shavings – is a major source of dust in the stable. Even the best quality hay is another major source of dust that can compromise your horse’s respiratory system. Environmental dust, leaf shatter from baling, transportation and storage, and the drying process of hay-making all contribute to putting dust, as well as nutrition, right in line with your horse’s respiratory system at every meal.

The good news is: you can help your horse breathe cleaner air with environmental stable products that significantly reduce airborne dust particles.

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/how-can-haygain-help-to-prevent-colic-part-32018-10-16T01:16:00-12:002019-01-03T04:21:35-12:00How can Haygain help to prevent gastric ulcers and colic – Part 3Laura MarshMore]]>
Written by: Stephanie Davis DVM

In the past two articles, we discussed impactions and colic due to post-operative ileus. The importance of forage intake, proper hydration, and grazing time were discussed. For this topic, we will consider the competition horse and how steaming hay for travel and at competitions can be preventative for gastric ulcers and colic. No matter the level of competition (local or international) a horse will experience a level of stress that can easily lead to gastric ulcers.

When I am working at an event, it is very common for me to be asked about a horse that is not eating his grain well. The horse’s behavior can range from not eating grain to an active colic. Very often, if you ask the right questions, you will find that the horse started acting uncomfortable after being fed his grain. They will often eat some or even all of the meal and then exhibit signs of colic. This is a classic presentation of a horse with gastric ulcers at a competition. There are certainly several signs of ulcers, but at a competition, it is a very obvious change from their normal behavior. At home, the horse may eat the grain slowly and eventually finish, but most of us are not hovering over them like we are at horse shows. So, it just seems more pronounced with the added stress of traveling and a competition environment.

Most people who are competing are aware of gastric ulcers and often are very diligent about treating them with preventative doses of ulcergard. This is very good practice, but important to remember that ulcergard will only reduce acid production to reduce the chance of damage to the mucosa of the stomach. Just treating with ulcergard will not guarantee a clean stomach if the horse does not have the correct diet. It cannot be said enough how important forage is for the diet. When horses eat hay or grass, they produce twice as much saliva as they do when they consume a grain meal. This is important because saliva is the natural acid buffer for the stomach. When the horse is traveling and competing (no matter how calm and relaxed they may appear) there is a physiological spike in cortisol levels. Chronic stress and subsequent release of cortisol can lead to suppression of the immune system, an increased risk of gastric ulceration and colic.

So, as much as we all want to reduce stress for our horses, it is unfortunately a product of what we do with them. In my practice, a competition horse that does not have a history of gastric ulcers can certainly maintain a healthy GI tract simply with a well-planned diet where the horse has access to steamed hay as much as possible. This will help create a nice forage mat at the bottom of the stomach and encourage a lot of saliva production. I personally take a Forager with me when I travel so that I can provide a large amount of hay but control the rate of intake. This way, I can simulate his grazing behavior that he normally does at home. The Haygain Forager is easy to transport and helps provide as much hay as the horse can consume in a day. As an added benefit, I have found that the forager is the best way to feed hay in the trailer as well! They maintain their proper head down grazing position which is not only great for the GI tract, but for the airway as well.

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https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/laminitis-in-horses-what-every-horse-owner-needs-to-know-part-two2018-10-09T22:13:00-12:002018-10-09T22:36:01-12:00Laminitis in Horses: What Every Horse Owner Needs to Know, Part TwoLaura Marsh
Previously, in Part One we covered: What is laminitis? What are the signs of laminitis? What causes laminitis? Now, in Part Two, we address: What precautions may prevent laminitis? What are the treatments for laminitis?

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Laminitis is the painful inflammatory condition that attacks the integrity, strength and function of the horse’s hooves. In a worst case scenario, laminitis can become so debilitating that the only humane option is euthanasia.

Regard the suspicion that your horse is experiencing laminitis as an equine emergency and call your vet immediately. The earlier this condition is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.

What precautions may prevent laminitis?

Preventing obesity is a major step in preventing laminitis. Maintaining a healthy weight through appropriate feeding and adequate exercise is within the horse owner’s control. Other factors such as metabolic conditions aren’t as easily managed.

To help your horse maintain a healthy weight, consider a slow feeder such as the Haygain Forager to feed as nature intended, in small amounts throughout the day instead of two or three larger feedings. Consult with your veterinarian or equine nutritionist about the appropriate type of hay and any grain, concentrates or supplements for your horse.

Easy keepers and horses with metabolic challenges need hay with the lowest non-structural carbohydrates, and that can be difficult to find. Soaking hay in water effectively reduces NSC (non-structural carbohydrates) and sugars, but research shows a 10-minute soak increases bacterial content by 150%. Steaming hay with a Haygain Hay Steamer has been shown to reduce bacteria (as well as mold, fungi and yeast) by 99%, so you are not challenging your horse’s digestive system with bacteria created by soaking.

Scientists have found that soaking hay for 9 hours, then steaming in a Haygain Hay Steamer for one hour, shows a 98% reduction in respirable particles, dramatic reduction in bacteria and mold, improves hygiene quality and palatability, retains nutrients, produces no effluent, and uses only about a gallon of water.

Blood flow in the horse’s hoof is essential to the proper function of the laminae. Because the frog of the hoof acts like a pump to send blood back up the leg to the heart, stable flooring that massages the frog with each step, such as the ComfortStall Flooring System, provides functional support to healthy horses. And for horses suffering from laminitis, the ability to lie down in comfort and rise again with ease is priceless.

For horses with underlying conditions such as Thyroid Dysfunction, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), and others, treatment of the their conditions is essential to controlling natural obesity.

Exercise is as important as feed, and providing your horse with age-appropriate exercise is essential. Older horses in particular are more likely to enjoy a leisurely trail ride than the high-intensity workouts preferred by younger horses.

Whether you ride your horse or not, make sure your horse’s feet are properly trimmed, and if corrective shoes are part of his program, make sure your vet and farrier concur on which shoes are appropriate for your horse.

What are the treatments for laminitis?

Immediate treatment for an initial case of laminitis might include cold hosing or ice packs to try to bring down the inflammation in the horse’s feet … but that’s just while you’re waiting for the vet to arrive.

When the vet arrives, it is helpful to have on hand as much of your horse’s health history as possible, as well as the dates and other information about any potential causes of laminitis that you can think of. This will save time when it is most critical, and help your vet personalize the plan of care for your horse.

Medications that your vet may prescribe could include an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to control the pain such as phenylbutazone or flunixin and opiates like morphine and pethidine. Acepromazine may be prescribed to increase blood supply to the feet, and for its sedative effect in helping quiet a horse in pain and confined to a stable.

Box rest is likely to be among the changes to your horse’s immediate situation, along with feeding changes. Hay that is lower in NSC (Non-Structural Carbohydrates) and low-starch, if any, supplemental feed are standard recommendations.

Foot support is essential, with a variety of frog-supporting pads, packing materials and corrective shoes now available. Collaboration between your vet and farrier is essential. A correct trim, with the toes not too long, and shoes that help facilitate break-over help the horse move less painfully.

Recovery from Laminitis

Remember that many factors that impact a diagnosis of laminitis are under your control, and that working with your vet and farrier is key to making the best decisions for your horse’s treatment and recovery.]]>
https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/travelling-horses2018-10-08T21:30:00-12:002019-01-14T00:33:03-12:00Travelling horsesLaura Marsh
Rosie Hutchins BSc (Hons) discusses her dissertation project that looked into the dust environment while travelling a horse in a lorry and whether different treatments of the forage could affect this.

It is currently common practice for horses to be contained in a confined space for prolonged periods of time, whether it is while they are stabled or being travelled. There has been lots of published research looking into the dust environment surrounding horses while they are stabled, however nothing so far has looked at the impact of dust during travelling.

This study examined the dust environment while travelling a horse in a lorry and if different treatments of the forage could affect this. The chosen forage was hay and the three treatments included dry, soaked and steamed. This was a continuation of research done looking into the treatment of hay and the effect it has on the breathing zone of stabled horses. The current research and understanding is that the surrounding respirable dust environment during periods of being stabled can be very changeable and have a major effect on the horses health.

Horses are highly sensitive to dust and mould particles therefore excessive inhalation of these could lead to breathing problems, both short and long term. This has been shown to be the case in stables but it is yet to be seen if these factors have the same effect while travelling (Curtis 1996, Waran 2002, Moore-Colyer 2015, Clements 2006, McGorum 1998, Woods 1993, Jones 1989 and Niedzw 2014).

Taking information from various comparable studies helped with making predictions for possible outcomes. It had been found that the airborne dust concentrations were significantly greater around a horses breathing zone compared to the general stable environment. This is significant as when horses are travelled haynets are often placed very close to their muzzle. While a horse is eating forage, ventilation makes only a very small impact therefore changing the treatment to the forage will have the biggest impact on the dust environment.

Performance horses exert a large amount of energy for their chosen discipline and the respiratory system is of great importance to being able to compete to the best of their athletic ability. Respiratory conditions such as recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) can be very damaging to a horses performance career, with the respiratory system proving to be the most limiting factor in a race horse. This therefore makes any improvement to a horses dust environment whether it being while stabled, or travelled or both very important to ensure as high a quality of performance as possible. This even applies to recreational horses that should remain in the best health possible.

The set up of the experiment was for three haynets to be prepared and each to be weighted at 5kg (<50g>) before treatment to ensure all had the same dry weight. All haynets were tied to the same place in the lorry, along with the air sampler in the horses breathing zone (See picture). For soaking the hay a time of 30 minutes was decided from previous experiments. Steaming the hay was done in a HG2000 for a period of 50 minutes to ensure temperature reached over 80°C.

The horse was then travelled for 30 minutes with each haynet before it was swapped for another which had undergone a different treatment. This time of 30 minutes had been determined by a pilot study which had been undertaken to determine the most appropriate time for a suitable amount of dust to be collected. Once the data had been collected the filter papers where taken to the labs and studied under the microscope so the dust particles could be counted.

The expected results following on from previous research would be that the steamed hay would produce the least amount of dust particles and the dry hay the most. This is from previous research conducted looking at treating hay while stabling horses. Alongside looking into whether forage affected the respirable dust environment, the experiment also used four different horses to determine if individual behaviour had an effect. The results were not statistically significant for this factor. While this is often a factor in stabled horses due to the limited space in a lorry it has less of an impact.

The results then showed there to be statistical significance (P<0.001) for the treatment of forage making a difference to the dust environment in the breathing zone. Dry hay produced the highest amount of dust particles, followed by soaked hay and finally steamed hay producing the least amount. Steaming is becoming a much more popular way to treat hay and in this experiment it was shown that soaking hay produced twice as many dust particles in comparison to steaming.

It has also been shown in a previous study that steaming hay not only improved the dust environment in the immediate breathing zone of stabled horses but also in the general stable environment. This could make it even more appropriate for travelling horses, especially for multiple horses, due to the confined space any improvement to the general environment would greatly benefit the horses health. Steaming is therefore shown to be the most effective treatment for reducing respirable particles when travelling a horse.

It is very common in my practice to be evaluating a horse for performance or

lameness and hear a few coughs when the horse first begins exercise. Typically, the owner will note that the horse often does this, but only at the beginning of a ride and they do not consider it a problem. However, a horse with a healthy respiratory tract rarely to never coughs. So, even though it is infrequent, if a horse will consistently exhibit a cough, it is something that may need further investigation.

If a horse has a cough absent of any further indicators of significant illness (fever, profuse nasal discharge, abnormal biochemistry values, and inappetence), the presumptive diagnosis would be inflammatory airway disease (IAD). IAD is typically diagnosed with clinical signs (cough and poor performance) and evidence of inflammation on endoscopy (discharge noted in trachea or nasopharynx and lymphoid hyperplasia). Lymphoid hyperplasia is a fancy word for “bumps” that can be seen in the upper airway indicating inflammation of the lymph tissue (tissue responsible for producing white blood cells and antibodies). Essentially, that tissue is activated because of inflammation. So, just taking a simple look with the scope of the upper airway gives a lot of information on the state of the horse’s airway.

Now that we understand that although the cough seems benign, there can be an active inflammatory process going on, what do we do about it? The first thing to consider is the environment that your horse lives in. How much turnout does the horse get? What is the ventilation like in the barn? How dusty is the bedding? How are you feeding the hay? The first three questions have simple answers. If the horse has more turnout, he will have less inflammation in the airway as there are typically less respiratory insults for them outside. It seems obvious, but important to mention that the stables they are kept in need good air circulation and ventilation. Dusty bedding will only contribute to inflammation in the airway. It is recommended to discuss options from your supplier for low dust bedding. Once all those factors have been considered, we get to the issue of the hay.

Hay is usually the most influential factor in creating inflammation in the airway. Horses spend hours and hours a day with their noses and breathing zone buried in hay. As we have discussed in the past, no matter the quality of hay, it is filled with allergens, mould spores, dust, and particulate matter that can activate and irritate the airway. In the past, it was recommended to soak the hay to essentially attach the dust and allergens to the hay itself and therefore become ingested versus inhaled. Soaking hay can be helpful, but steaming the hay is superior in several ways. Most importantly, the mold spores and bacteria will not be attached to the plant to prevent inhalation as with soaking but will actually kill the mold spores and bacteria so that there is not affect from inhalation or ingestion. A recent study presented at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) in June 2016, has found that steaming hay with Haygain reduces the factors responsible for Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD) in horses by an impressive two-thirds. Additionally, the study found that after analyzing all the forage options (dry hay,soaked hay, haylage or Haygain steamed hay) steamed hay not only had the lowest risk but was the ONLY method which significantly decreased the risk of IAD. So, if your horse has a cough, he likely has some degree of IAD and the most effective way to reduce symptoms and need for medication is to steam the hay.

Find out more about the benefits of steaming hay]]>
https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/laminitis-in-horses-what-every-horse-owner-needs-to-know-part-one2018-10-04T01:43:00-12:002018-10-04T02:04:31-12:00Laminitis in Horses: What Every Horse Owner Needs to Know, Part OneLaura MarshMore]]>
this painful condition attacks the integrity, strength and function of the horse’s hooves. Maintaining the integrity of the horse’s hoof is essential to the soundness and health of the horse: “No hoof, no horse” is as true today as it was when that old saying originated.

If you suspect your horse is experiencing laminitis, stop reading this article and call your vet immediately: Laminitis is an equine emergency. Left unchecked, laminitis can become so debilitating that the only humane option is euthanasia.

Otherwise, read on for what every horse owner needs to know about laminitis. In Part One, discover: What is laminitis? What are the signs of laminitis? What causes laminitis? In Part Two: What precautions may prevent laminitis? What are the treatments for laminitis?

What Is Laminitis?

Laminitis is an extremely painful condition in the horse’s hoof that results from the disruption of blood flow to the laminae. The laminae secure the coffin bone, also known as the pedal bone, to the hoof wall. Inflammation weakens the laminae which causes the coffin bone to separate from the hoof wall. The weakened connection allows the coffin bone to rotate, sink downward, and eventually penetrate the sole. At that point, the horse’s health, comfort and ability to function are so severely compromised that euthanasia can be the only humane option.

Exactly how laminitis occurs has not yet been clearly identified. While we know that inflammation in the body can result in inflammation of the lamellae in the hoof, the exact mechanism remains unclear.

Consider this: Because the coffin bone is the very last bone at the bottom of the horse’s leg, if the coffin bone is not securely attached to the hoof wall, the hoof cannot support the weight of the horse. Without that support, even standing or walking can be excruciatingly painful. Imagine that you have inflammation underneath your toenails and have to support your weight on them as you go out for a jog – that’s essentially what a horse with even the mildest case of laminitis feels.

The terms “laminitis” and “founder” are often used interchangeably, so what’s the difference? It can be confusing. “Laminitis” is often used to describe both the initial sudden onset of acute symptoms such as pain and inflamed laminae as well as the chronic, long-term condition in which the coffin bone rotates. However, “founder” is more often used to describe chronic, long-term laminitis.

When laminitis is diagnosed early and the underlying cause is corrected quickly, ongoing treatment and/or management may be enough to keep the horse functioning, healthy and pain-free for years. However, if laminitis is left undiagnosed and untreated, the consequences to the horse are grave.

What are the Signs of Laminitis?

So subtle that it is often overlooked, a horse’s reluctance to move forward normally is a reliable sign that something is wrong, and coupled with other signs, can provide enough clues to diagnose a case of laminitis.

Usually the front feet are most likely to be affected by laminitis, and lameness due laminitis is worse on harder ground. Another sign is the horse’s backward-leaning stance as it attempts to take weight off its front legs, where laminitis most often occurs, and seeing the horse lying down more frequently than usual to relieve the pain of weight-bearing on inflamed feet.

“Bounding pulses” in the horse’s feet, and hooves that are warmer to the touch than normal are signs that you can monitor. Ridges that ring the horse’s hooves are an indication that the horse has suffered from laminitis in the past, and past incidences of laminitis are usually a reliable predictor of future susceptibility. Sensitivity to pressure applied to the sole of the hoof with “hoof testers” such as most farriers use also point toward a diagnosis of laminitis.

An early-warning sign of the potential for laminitis is obesity. The low tech rule of thumb for determining if your horse’s weight is acceptable is to run your fingertips lightly but firmly across your horse’s barrel from front to back. If you can’t see the ribs but you can feel them, your horse’s weight is likely in an acceptable range. If you can’t see the ribs and you can’t feel them unless you apply very strong pressure, your horse is obese.

Obesity isn’t a nasty word – it’s a warning sign. Horses that are obese, and especially those horses prone to put on weight easily, are at greater risk of laminitis than the general horse population. Look for fat deposits or “pockets” on its hindquarters or a cresty neck especially if the fatty crest is hard. If you are in any doubt about your horse’s weight, consult with your veterinarian.

What Causes Laminitis?

Laminitis is actually a symptom of problems within the horse’s system, resulting most often from its feeding and exercise management, or hormonal or genetic conditions. Its causes are diverse, and what causes laminitis in one horse can be entirely different for another horse.

One of the most common nutritional causes is known as “grass founder”, which can occur when a horse that is unaccustomed to grazing is turned out to graze too long on lush pasture grass. Rich in sugar, especially at times of new growth, and with higher sugar content early in the morning and late at night, that gorgeous green grass has the potential to be a horse’s worst enemy. It’s safer and healthier to begin with short periods of grazing to gradually accustom the horse’s system to rich grass and then to gradually lengthen the time spent grazing.

Feeding excessive amounts of grain or concentrate feed can overload the horse’s digestive system with soluble carbohydrates: Sugar and starch. When they move into the hindgut, they begin a process that results in the release of toxins into the hindgut, and from there into the bloodstream.

Any change in feed should be made gradually, whether it’s a change in the type of feed such as moving from dried hay to pasture grass, or between one type of hay or brand of grain to another. Abrupt changes in feed can increase the risk of laminitis as well as the risk of colic, and severe colic can also cause laminitis.

Feeding excessive amounts of grain, treats and even hay, over time can cause laminitis as a result of the horse becoming obese. And obesity can occur as readily from lack of exercise as from overfeeding: for example, a horse that is laid up due to injury, or a horse that has recently retired. A horse accustomed to a specific amount of exercise can rapidly gain weight if its feeding regime stays the same when its exercise is reduced or curtailed altogether.

Weight gain can also occur due to endocrine or metabolic issues such as Thyroid Dysfunction (TD), Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Equine Cushing’s Disease or Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), and other conditions. Increasing numbers of horses are being diagnosed with these issues and one of the unfortunate results for these horses is the increased risk of laminitis or chronic founder.

Although being a particular breed or type of horse is not precisely a cause of laminitis, laminitis seems to strike some breeds and types with greater frequency. Owners of ponies, Arabians, native breeds, warmbloods and baroque breeds should pay particular attention to horse care and management of any predisposing elements in the laminitis puzzle.

“Road founder” or laminitis caused by riding too long and/or too persistently on a hard surface such as a road or an arena with fooling that is too hard for horses to safely work. This cause was more prevalent in the past, when horses were used more frequently as working animals for the transportation of people and goods.

“Supporting limb laminitis” famously came to widespread attention when Barbaro won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, then suffered multiple fractures two weeks later, and developed SSL. Despite having the best of care, his laminitis could not be controlled or reversed and Barbaro was euthanized.

High fevers can also cause laminitis, from toxins released by bacteria during womb infections such as a retained placenta, to the aftereffects of a severe colic. Fever and inflammation in any part of the horse’s body can trigger laminitis.

Stress takes a toll on horses, as it does on humans, including dramatic and/or abrupt changes in environment and/or frequent travelling.

In Part Two of Laminitis in Horses: 'What Every Horse Owner Needs to Know' we will explore the precautions that may prevent laminitis, as well as the treatments used when laminitis occurs.]]>
https://haygain.co.uk/blogs/news-and-events/steaming-hay-for-the-insulin-resistant-horse-may-be-as-good-or-better-than-soaking2018-10-03T03:24:00-12:002018-10-03T03:46:40-12:00Steaming hay for the Insulin Resistant horse – May be as good or better than soakingLaura MarshMore]]>
By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D.

You have no choice. Soaking seems to be the only option for your hay. It’s too high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) and your insulin resistant horse is at risk of developing laminitis.

There is considerable research on soaking[i] and it can be a worthwhile option. Soaking removes sugars and fructans, known as water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), as well as some starch (WSC + Starch = NSC). The warmer the water temperature and the longer you soak it, the more you remove. This makes inherent sense and researchers at the University of Minnesota have confirmed that NSC levels decline significantly when hay is soaked in warm water for 30 minutes or cold water for 60 minutes. But there are real disadvantages.

Soaking causes considerable mineral losses. It also reduces the amount of dry matter, leaving your horse with less digestible fiber. Bacterial growth is a problem if hay is soaked for more than two hours. On top of all that, it is just plain difficult! Wet hay is heavy. Soaking is nearly impossible in winter. And hay floats - you have to weigh it down to immerse it in water. Draining all that water can be messy. The hay starts to mildew very quickly if not immediately eaten. And, some horses simply do not like it. Need I go on?

Steaming reduces NSC

Typically done to control dust and mold spores for horses with respiratory problems, steaming is also an effective means of reducing NSC. Horses suffering from insulin resistance due to obesity, metabolic syndrome, or equine Cushing’s disease, as well as from insulin sensitivity due to polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM), need to be fed grass hay, free-choice, that has an acceptable NSC level of less than 12% (and ideally, below 10%) on an as-sampled basis. Some researchers suggest that steaming does not remove as much NSC as soaking[ii], but the amount removed can vary. Here is the result of a recent study:[iii]

While it is apparent from the above table that soaking does a better job of reducing NSC, the hay used in this study started out with a high NSC level (20.8%). Notice that neither approach reduced the NSC to an acceptable level. Therefore, it is advisable to first test your hay, and then retest after treatment. If your hay starts with a more moderate NSC level, say 13% on a dry matter basis, steaming may bring it down to a level that is safe for your horse. Furthermore, it is worthwhile to look at the “as-sampled” basis instead of the “dry matter” basis because the hay that your horse consumes when dry has some moisture in it (typically around 10%). Therefore, the “as-sampled” numbers are a better indicator of how much sugar and starch your horse is actually eating. Consider the example below using the 7.2% NSC reduction rate produced by steaming as shown in table 1:

The above numbers demonstrate that steaming will reduce the NSC to 12.06% on a 100% dry matter basis. But even better, the NSC level is actually brought down to 10.86% on an as-sampled basis -- safe to feed for most insulin resistant horses. Furthermore, it is safe to feed free-choice to your overweight horse to allow for self-regulation and ultimate weight loss.

Even more favorable results have been revealed.

If your hay has a high NSC percentage, don’t despair. Follow the manufacturer instructions for length of steaming time and retest your hay after steaming. Take a look at this study’s results[iv] where the WSC dramatically improved:

While starch measurements were not included in the above study, it revealed a far more dramatic decrease in WSC (18.3%) than the results shown in table 1 (with less than 3% WSC reduction).

Mineral status is maintained

Copper, zinc, manganese, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus were not lost by steaming. In fact, since steaming opens up the fiber matrix of hay, the bioavailability of these minerals is likely enhanced. The only mineral that decreased in concentration through steaming was iron, which is actually a good thing because iron increases insulin resistance.

Bottom line

Steaming makes hay more palatable, it is much easier to perform, and depending on your hay, can significantly improve the WSC level to a point where it is safe to feed free-choice to your horse. Always test your hay before and after treatment.

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The above article offers insight into the benefits of steaming on reducing non-structural carbohydrates (NSC). For more details on hay, NSC, and the needs of the insulin resistant, cushingoid, or PSSM horse, please refer to Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

[i] Martinson, K.L., Hathaway, M., Jung, H., and Schaeffer, C. from the University of Minnesota. 2011 through 2012. Several studies on the effect of soaking on protein, mineral, carbohydrates, and dry matter losses.

[ii] Kellon, E. 2010. Hay steamers. Horse-Journal, 17(10). October.

[iii] Adapted from Kentucky Equine Research, June 16, 2012. The effect of soaking or steaming timothy hay on voluntary intake and digestibility by Thoroughbreds. Timothy hay was soaked at room temperature for 30 minutes, or steamed in a HAYGAIN steamer and allow to reach a temperature of 170 degrees F

[iv] Moore-Colyer, M. 2009. A summary of an investigation into the nutrient content of hay steamed for 50 minutes in the Haygain steamer. Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, Glos.

In our last colic article (Part 1), we discussed some causes and management solutions for impaction colic. The details of proper hydration and forage intake were discussed so that your horse maintains a healthy gastrointestinal tract. The proper care of the GI tract should help prevent the incident of an impaction. However, there are certain instances where it becomes more difficult to provide a consistent and appropriate diet. Certain circumstances such as an injury (discussed in the previous article) will require a horse to be on stall rest and prevent them from getting enough fresh grass. When some part of their dietary routine is altered, it is important to consider how those changes can potentially make the horse prone to colic. In this article, we will discuss post-operative care.

Whether a horse has orthopedic or abdominal surgery, it is very important to carefully manage their diet post-operatively. A common complication of surgery is ileus. Simply, ileus is the absence of movement of the GI contents. Even with extensive research, the exact cause of post-operative ileus is not entirely known. The reason for this is that the seemingly simple movement of ingesta down the GI tract is extremely complicated. A perfect dance between the central, autonomic, and enteric nervous systems all must occur to create the appropriate smooth muscle contractions to move the ingesta through the intestines. Since the physiology of GI motility is so complex (and not completely understood), the best way to combat ileus is to try prevent it. The way to prevent is to promote healthy GI motility the best we can. It is well known that horses are naturally meant to graze up to 18 hours a day and travel some distance while doing that. The slow and steady intake of grass as well as the exercise done while searching for good grass will stimulate the movement of a health GI tract. So, after a horse has had surgery of any kind, they have to stay in a stall and are most often being given a number of medications (which can also affect the GI motility). This is drastically different from their natural state. Additionally, most if not all horses are stressed while in the hospital. The stress and pain associated with their condition will significantly decrease their mood and appetite. So, a post-operative horse has many factors challenging their GI motility. Considering that a horse in hospital is stressed, painful, and often inappetent, it makes logical sense to find a non-invasive way to reduce some of those factors in an attempt to prevent a post-operative ileus. When a horse is stall bound, it is important to create as much of a “grazing” environment as possible. Ideally, steamed hay would be put in a slow feeder. This is the best way to recreate a natural grazing pattern as well as hydrating the forage to mimic the grass they are not getting. In addition, a horse that is not eating well may be more interested in warm, sweet smelling steamed hay with the added bonus of reduced exposure to respirable dust, mould and bacteria rather than dry hay. Several studies have shown that horses prefer steamed hay over dry or soaked hay. When they are reluctant to eat, it is important to offer the most appetizing hay or fresh grass that you can to stimulate GI motility.

We have had a good summer season, we've been to great shows around Europe and I have given some experience to a few new exciting horses. I am working towards rebuilding my team for this winter and next season.

2. What has been your best result so far?That would have to be when Waterford was second in the 5* at Treffen which was a very exciting class for us and of course an incredible venue. He was also third in an incredibly fast jump off at Stephex Masters 5*.

3. Where are you headed for in the Autumn?

The team will head into the indoor season here in Europe over the fall before we make the move to Florida. For now Liege, Masstricht and Stockholm are all on the schedule.

4. Who are your stable stars currently?

Waterford, "Walter" is definitely the work horse of the family and has been a star all summer. Absolhut and Firefly W are also two very exciting horses to have as part of the team.

5.Have there been any major changes so far this year?

The biggest change we have had to deal with is not having Oh La La currently jumping. She's been steadfast for so long, but now has given the others a chance to shine.

6. Which Haygain product/s are you finding most useful at home and away at competitions?

The Haygain steam bag makes it possible to feed quality consistent hay to the horses while they travel. We can try to manage respiratory and gastric issues that can often arise during traveling and competing. We also love the nebuliser. It really makes a difference to certain horses and is a wonderful piece of equipment to have.

Equine ulcers behaviour is difficult to define as symptoms range from nonspecific and hard to notice to more serious abdominal pain (colic). More serious cases are of course easier to spot, some horses are found on their backs, since this position seems to provide some relief from severe gastric ulceration. However, most cases are far less obvious and a change in behaviour is probably the most important aspect for identifying if a horse may have ulcers.

Equine Ulcers: Behavioural changes

A change in behaviour can give a strong indication of equine ulcers, a change in attitude or willingness to perform certain movements or activities the horse would normally carry out with no problem. Some horses demonstrate signs of discomfort when tacking up and especially when tightening the girth. Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is a common behavioural change seen in horses with ulcers. Chewing wood helps the horse produce more saliva, which can help neutralize stomach acid so this is also a behaviour associated with equine ulcers especially if it is a new behaviour to that horse.

Equine Ulcers: Changes to eating habits and digestive problems

A symptom of gastric ulcers is poor or reduced appetite. There may be a reluctance to eat when presented with food or they may graze less. Some horses with ulcers experience discomfort when the food first hits the stomach so it may be noticeable that they walk away and leave their food after eating only a small amount. Horse’s can loose weight as a result of this.

Equine Ulcers: Changes in the horse’s overall condition

Gastric ulcers can lead to a decline in the horse’s overall condition. Look for a change or decline in the horse’s health or body and coat condition. They can appear more lethargic and spend more time lying down than normal.That said, it’s important to realise horses that look completely healthy can also have gastric ulcers.﻿

Equine Ulcers: Behaviour changes while exercising

Exercise moves the acid in the stomach around, which can splash up in the upper and vulnerable part of the stomach. This can be painful especially if the horse has existing ulcers and so a change in their willingness and ability to exercise is often noted. If forage is fed before exercising this acts as a “mat” on top of the stomach acid preventing it from splashing up.